Parenthood
by bjames238
Summary: Willow shows up in Angel's room instead of Darla at the end of season 2. A month and a half later . . . The last chapter will be coming soon.
1. Getting There

**Parenthood**

Summary: Willow shows up in Angel's room instead of Darla. A month and a half later . . . The next chapter should be coming soon.

**Chapter 1: Getting There**

"What have I done?" She said aloud as she drove. "How could I have given him up so easily?"  
Tears ran down her cheeks.  
Willow had given him up, and now it was eating her up inside. "How could I have been so  
selfish?" she turned onto the Sunnydale exit. "How could I leave Angel with all the responsibility?"  
She was sobbing now, and she couldn't stop. She was almost home, back to what she called  
normal. But no, nothing would every be normal to her again. Every time she saw, hear, or thought about  
anything related to babies, she would think about her, well Angel's too, child. She would never forget  
how she had abandoned him and had changed everyone's memories but her own. To her, he would  
always be her child. But to Angel, and the rest of the world, he would be his and Darla's.  
Willow had had to do it. She had no other choice. Glory was out there. And if that hell god  
knew that Willow had a child, she would go after him. And Willow didn't want that, she had to hide  
him.  
She thought about that night, the one when her son have been conceived. She had been  
depressed because Glory had sucked out Tara's brain, leaving her mindless, crazy even. Her friendship  
with Buffy and Xander had been dissolving. Then Cordelia had called and said that Angel needed her  
help. So Willow had gone to Los Angeles. She found Angel in his hotel in his room.  
He had been staring out the window, his back facing her. She had come in the threshold, but  
staying in the doorway leaning against the wall.  
"What do you want?" He had said harshly. He had said it almost as if he didn't want her there.  
"I-I . . ." She had stammered. She didn't moved. She had almost been afraid of him.   
"Stop stammering like an idiot and answer me." He was still facing the window.  
"Cordelia called and-and said that you n-needed my help." Willow had said. He had laughed,  
turned around, and then he was right in front of her. He had grabbed her arms, and shook her.  
"You? Why would I need your help?" From a little girl who has absolutely no confidence  
whatsoever? You need a reality check, witch." he had shaken her again and had such an evil smirk on his  
face.  
"B-but--"  
"'But' what? Spit it out, little girl." he had made it so their faces were so close, their lips were  
practically touching. Then he had done the unthinkable. He had kissed her. He had done it with so  
much tongue for so long and so hard she had almost stopped breathing. She had barely managed to push  
him away before she suffocated. She had backed away, trying to get as far away from him as possible.  
But he was too strong and fast. He had grabbed her again. But this time, he had thrown her on his bed.  
He had jumped on top of her and had dug his hips into her pelvis so hard she had begun to bleed. Then  
he had bitten her on the neck.  
She didn't remember much after that, but she did remember that she had wanted him. Not  
because she loved, or needed him, but to just feel something other than the cold that had creeped into her  
soul after Glory had attacked Tara. She remembered feeling like she was in a haze. There, but not really  
there. She also remembered being just as brutal to him as he had been to her. He had said several time during that he needed her fire, passion, and power so much. And that if  
he didn't have her, he would die. He had said that there was so much evil in the world, he just wanted to  
get away from all of it. She had replied by saying that she would take all of that away.  
The next morning, Willow had awoken to find that Angel was gone. His room had been a mess  
from the night before. At first, she had thought that she had brought Angelus back. But then  
remembered that she and Angel had a mystical connection. After Buffy had left town after sending  
Angel to hell, Willow had studied up on Angel's curse. she had found that the person to re-ensoul Angel  
did not have the same affect as other women. She could give him true happiness without making him  
lose his soul. But she had never told anyone because first of all, she had been with Oz at the time, and  
second of all she hadn't thought about Angel that way. And she had never expected him to either. Be he  
had. Why, she did not know.  
She had sat up, pulling the comforter over her nude body. She had found a piece of paper  
on the pillow next to hers. She picked up the note and read it.  
'My sweet Willow,' the note said, 'Thank you for giving me what I needed to have faith in  
this world. If you will come downstairs, I have made breakfast for you. Love, Angel.'  
She had giggled and raced to find her clothing. When she was dressed, she had wandered  
down to the lobby and found a table with candles, roses, orange juice, plates of pancakes and  
eggs, and red wine. But Angel had been no where in sight. She had sat down at one end of the  
table. A second later, music came on. It was a Barry Manilow song she didn't know the title too.  
Then Angel had walked in, wearing his usual black pants, black shirt, and black duster. There  
was a towel on his arm, and a rose in his mouth.  
"You're awake." He had said so much more calmly than when he had spoken the night  
before. "How did you sleep?"  
"Very well, thank you." She had said, beaming.  
The rest of the morning had been spent talking and catching up, and well, kissing. He  
had told her about the stuff with Wolfram & Hart, Darla, and Drusilla. She had told him about  
Glory, Tara, Dawn, and how Buffy was really struggling with the fact that she hadn't defeated  
Glory yet. They had s sympathized with each other, held each other. She had told him about  
Tara, she had broken down crying and sobbing. She had kissed her n the forehead and said that  
she would figured out how to reverse it. And she had cried into his strong chest for about an  
hour.  
She had headed for home around noon, knowing that she would be needed back in  
Sunnydale. She had come back and found out that Glory had found out that Dawn was the key  
and had kidnapped the Slayer's kid sister. Xander her how it had happened and that Buffy had  
gone into a sort of coma. Willow had gotten her out of it. She had figured out a way to get Tara  
back , but id didn't worked, sort of. She had done a spell that would take out of Glory what the  
hell god had stolen from Tara. All it did was end up killing Glory and Tara was still the same.  
But Glory didn't stay dead for long. She came back and said that she would kill Willow and all of  
her descendants for what she had done. They had found Dawn and brought her to the Summer's  
house.  
She and Tara had moved in with Buffy and Dawn for protection. The two sisters also  
helped Willow take care of Tara, especially when Willow got sick, which had seemed to happen  
way too many times.  
Buffy had dropped out of college after her mother had died so she could take care of  
Dawn, but went back after Willow had almost killed the hell god. When Willow and Buffy wereat classes, and Dawn was at school at the same time, Anya would take of Tara. Giles helped too.   
A week after Willow went to Los Angeles, Angel called. He said that he had re-hired his friends  
and they had forgiven him. She and Angel had agreed not to tell anyone about what really  
happened, that it would be between the two of them. They had told their friends that all that  
happened was that they talked all night, nothing else.  
But it wouldn't stay hidden in secret for long, until Willow did something about it.  
About a month and a half after the big battle with Glory, she had found out she was  
pregnant. She didn't understand how or why. Or why she had thought to take a home pregnancy  
test in the first place. But she had felt so sick, she hadn't known what else to do. She had been  
staring at the positive symbol when she remembered that Glory had said she would kill Willow  
and all her children. So she had gone back to Los Angeles to tell Angel about the baby and what  
she was going to do. Except he wasn't there. No one was. So she had sat down on the red  
couch, crying. And waited for him to come back.  
She had ended up waiting almost four hours before he walked in the door. She had looked up in his eyes,  
her face still tear-stained.  
"Buffy?" He had said. She had shaken her head no and said she needed to talk to him in private.  
She had told him everything. Afterward he had tried to convince her not to do it, that he would protect  
her and the baby. But she had refused. She had gone upstairs saying she needed to rest before going  
back to Sunnydale. But she had cast the spell and slipped out the window.  
The spell had caused everyone to think it was Darla who had slept with Angel that night. That  
Darla was the mother of Angel and Willow's child. Of course Darla wouldn't appear for several months.  
While doing the spell, she had gone inside of her womb and saw that the child she was carrying  
was a boy. She had transferred her son into Darla's body, fully knowing he would be safe because of the  
barrier she had put around him. No one would be able to get through it. Once Darla figured that out, she  
would go to Angel.  
Giving up her son had been the hardest thing she had ever done, but she knew he would live a safer  
life because of her choice. Glory would never know about him. And Angel, his father, would keep him  
safe. When Glory was gone, she would reverse the spell.  
Now she was on her way home to help defeat Glory once and for all. And she was crying because  
her unborn baby boy was not inside of her, but a vampire. And her heart ached for two people, a man and  
a woman. For Angel, and for Tara. For Angel, there was still hope. But Tara was lost, and Willow would  
never find her.  
She was on Revello Drive now. In a few short minutes she would be at the Summer's house which  
was now her home. Buffy and Dawn didn't know that Willow had been in Los Angels. They think she had  
gone to get groceries, which were actually in the back seat.  
It was a little confusing because the old memories and the new ones were mixed in her brain.  
She pulled up in the driveway and shut off the Jeep that used to Mrs. Summer's. She got the  
groceries out of the backseat and went in the house. It was late, she knew, but Buffy would still be awake.  
She went into the kitchen to put the stuff away and found Buffy sitting at the counter, staring a something,  
probably tea.  
"Hey." Willow said. Buffy looked up.  
"Hey." Buffy said. She looked at the bags in Willow's hands. "What'cha got?""Groceries. I couldn't sleep, so I went shopping." Willow said.  
"Oh. No run-ins with our resident hell god I hope."  
"Thankfully, no. How's Tara?" Willow sat down next to Buffy.  
"Sleeping. She got a little restless a little while ago. I went up to check on her and found that  
Dawn was already in there."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Ya know, sometimes that sister of mine really scares me. She can hear things faster than I  
can. How does that work?" Buffy sipped her tea.  
Willow shrugged. "Maybe it's a Key thing."  
"It could be. There's just so much we don't know about what Dawn being the Key really means.  
We've known for almost a year, and we haven't been able to figure it out. And we still haven't killed  
Glory."  
"We will. I know we will."  
"It's just so confusing. I know that she wasn't always here, but it feels like it. Like when Angel  
was Angelus. I know she wasn't there, but it feels like it."  
"Yeah, I know the feeling. I remember Dawn catching me and Oz kissing a bunch of times, but  
she wasn't there."  
"Buffy!" Dawn yelled from upstairs.  
"Glory." Both Willow and Buffy said at the same time. They ran upstairs to Joyce's old room.  
"No! It's coming!" Willow heard Tara say.  
"Buffy, help!" Dawn screamed.  
"Coming!" Buffy shouted beside Willow. When they reached the room, Willow saw that Dawn  
was struggling with a wild Tara. Dawn's eye was blue. Willow pulled Tara off Dawn and held her tight.  
Buffy went to Dawn.  
"Tara! Sshh. It's okay, I'm here. Ssshh." Willow said softly. But Willow couldn't hold her  
anymore. Tara pushed her and she fell to the floor. Tears ran down Willow's cheeks. Buffy grabbed Tara  
and held on to her.  
"It's coming! It's coming!" Tara said.  
"What's coming?" Buffy asked.  
"No." Dawn said from behind Willow. "She's already here." Willow looked at Dawn and saw that  
Glory was stand behind the teenager. Glory's hands were around Dawn's neck. Buffy moved toward  
them, but Glory shook her head.  
"Hey now. You know that she'd be dead before you got to her. So why even bother?" Glory  
looked at Willow. "Hey there witch. How's your girlfriend? Still crazy?"  
"Buffy!" Dawn squeaked. Glory squeezed her neck tighter.  
"Hey now Dawnie. You really think big sis can save you?" Glory laughed. "She can't even get to  
you."  
"Let her go." Buffy snapped.  
"Or what? You'll bore me to death? Nah. I think I'll play with her a little. She may not open  
anything anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't want her dead." Glory raised her hand in a fist but stopped  
in mid-punch. "Wait. The witch is hiding something. Not just from me, from the world." Glory dropped  
Dawn and yanked Willow to her feet. "What's in that brain of yours? Should I do to you the same thing I  
did to your girlfriend?" Willow shook her head. "Nah. I think it would be more fun to beat it out of you.  
So tell me witch, whatcha hidin'?""I'll never tell you." Willow snarled. Glory punched her hard in the mouth. Willow tasted blood  
and spit it out.  
"Tell me!" Glory yelled. Willow refused too. Buffy and Dawn just stared in awe. Willow's  
stomach grunted and she clutched it with her arms. Glory noticed and laughed. "Looks like Red conceived  
an heir."  
"No. It's impossible. I haven't been with a man in over a year." Willow said.  
"Ah. But my sources say differently. Seems like there was one a couple of weeks ago." Glory  
looked at something beyond Willow and smiled. "Mmm. He was a yummy one."  
"Willow, what the hell is going on?" Buffy said. Willow looked over her shoulder and sawn that  
Buffy was still struggling to calm Tara down.  
"I don't know." Willow lied. She knew exactly what was going on. But how did Glory get past  
her spell?  
"Red knows exactly what's going on. Did you think you could hide him from me? Did you thing I  
wouldn't find him sooner or later? He reeks of you."  
"No." Willow pleaded.  
"Oh, yes. I'll get you my pretty. And your little brat too." Glory dropped Willow and  
disappeared.  
"Willow, who is she talking about? Who's 'him'?" Dawn said.  
"First, let me reverse the spell and call Angel. Then, I'll tell you everything." Willow said. She  
ran to her room and slammed the door. She made a circle of magic black powder. She put candles around  
the circle and lit them. She sat cross-legged in the middle of the circle. "Let the spell be ended!" She said  
in Latin. White light that felt like fire circled around her and went into her stomach. She screamed in pain  
and agony as her son was put back inside of her womb. When it was finished, she put another barrier  
around her son. Her stomach bulged until her blouse ripped. She fell to her side and passed out.

When she woke up, she was in her bed. She still had the same shirt on. Light came in the window  
and hurt her eyes. She sat up and grabbed the phone off of her side table. She dialed Angel's number.  
"We help th-"  
"Cordelia! I need to talk to Angel. It's extremely important."  
"Willow? Is that you?" Cordelia said.  
"Yes. Put Angel on!" Willow shouted.  
"Oh, right. Here he is." Cordelia said.  
"Willow! I was hoping you'd call. Listen, I remember ev-"  
"That's great, but we have more pressing issues at the moment. Glory's coming there looking for  
him, but she's not going to find him. He's here, with me." Willow said. She rubbed her stomach.  
"Right. I'm coming there. I told you I'd protect both of you, and I am."  
"But Angel, the sun!"  
"I'll take the sewer. Did you tell Buffy yet?"  
"No."  
"Tell her now. She can protect you until I get there. And Willow, lay low. I love you too much to  
lose you."  
"I love you too Angel." Willow put the phone back on the receiver. She pulled the covers off and  
jumped out of bed. She ran down the hall and downstairs.  
Buffy, Tara, and Dawn were all in living room. Buffy looked up. She had a grim expression on  
her face.  
"You owe us a really big explanation." Buffy said harshly."I promised I'd tell you everything. So I am." Willow sat down on the chair and told them  
everything. When she finished, she sighed.  
"Wow. So that's . . . everything." Dawn said.  
Willow nodded. "Yes. Every last detail. Only not, because well, duh! Personal stuff. But yeah.  
What I told you is true."  
"What the hell were you thinking? You could have brought Angelus back!" Buffy snapped.  
"I wasn't thinking, Buffy. I was hurt, and depressed. All I thought about was getting rid of this  
feeling that I'm not needed. Angel wasn't thinking straight either. His foot was so far in the puddle of evil  
that all he wanted was to feel. Neither of us thought about the consequences of our actions. And besides.  
Because I re-ensouled him, I can't make him lose his soul. No matter how many moments of true  
happiness I give him, his soul stays put."  
"Oh. So you just took advantage of that. You decided to sleep with my ex-"   
"You know what, Buffy. That's right. He is your ex. As in, he's single. He's not yours  
anymore."  
"So he's yours now?" Buffy snapped.  
"Stop it!" Dawn shouted. "Right now Glory is after three of the five people in this house, and you  
two are fighting over a guy? Get over it."  
"Five?" Buffy looked at her sister.  
"Yeah. Me, you, Tara, Willow, and Willow's unborn baby. That's five." Dawn said.  
"Yes. Dawn's right. Angel told me to lay low until he got here. Which I am happy to do because,  
whew! This kid is only two months along and he's already kicking up a storm." She wiped her forehead  
and collapsed into the chair.  
"Really? Can I feel?" Dawn asked.  
"Sure. Come here." Willow said. Dawn came over and sat on the arm of the chair. Willow took  
Dawn's fingers and put them where the baby was kicking.  
"Cool!" Dawn said. She made a face. "But also creepy."  
"Why is it creepy?" Willow asked.  
"Because there's life in there. Human life. And he's moving. And it's on the inside of someone I  
know. Like I said, creepy, but in a good way." Dawn said.  
"Willow, I'm sorry I got so mad at you. I shouldn't have blown up like that. You're right. Angel  
and I aren't together anymore. I guess I was just a little jealous, though I had no right to be. But I've just  
gotta ask. Are you in love with him?" Buffy said.  
Willow really didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she loved him or not. "I-I . . . I don't  
know."  
"How can you not know?" Dawn asked.  
"Because. If I say yes, then that means Tara and I were really over. If I say no, then I'll be lying  
to myself and our child." She looked at her best friend. "What do I do, Buffy?" Willow looked at Buffy,  
then Tara, then Buffy again.  
"I don't know, Wil. I just don't know." Buffy said.  
"We're going to take down the filthy s.o.b. hell god that wants my son." A voice said from the  
kitchen. Angel stepped in the living room, a blanket on his head. His hands were burned very badly. His  
hair was gone, his face barely even recognizable. His clothes were torn and ragged. Buffy fidgeted and  
Willow knew she was uncomfortable."Angel!" Willow jumped up and ran to him. She hugged him tight, and he hugged her back.  
"Angel!" She croaked. "I . . need to . . . breathe." he instantly let go of her.  
"I'm sorry." Angel said.  
"That's okay." Willow kissed him heavily on the lips.  
"Get a room!" Dawn giggled. Buffy laughed too.  
"Rooms are for the people." Tara said. Willow couldn't help but laugh, even thought it was  
disappointing that Tara was still like that.   
"Angel, what happened?" Willow asked, edging on panic.  
"Sun. Nearest sewer access was two blocks away." Angel said.  
"Oh, baby. I'm sorry." Willow said.  
"I'm fine. Just a little scorched. Where's this Glory?" Angel asked. Willow sat back down on the  
chair, and Angel sat on the arm of the chair next to her.   
"We don't know. She attacked not to long ago. Then she disappeared." Buffy said. It was the  
first time she hand spoken since Angel had gotten there.  
Angel looked at Buffy. For a second, Willow was just a little jealous. But when Angel put his  
hand on Willow's thigh and gave it a squeeze, she was convinced that Angel was hers and hers alone. The  
look he gave Buffy was just that of an ex ?acknowledging their former girlfriend or boyfriend. Willow  
wasn't worried in the least.  
"What's Glory's deal?" Angel asked.  
"Well, as you can see by looking at Tara, she sucks people's brains out because being here on  
earth is driving her insane, literally. She wanted Dawn because Dawn is the Key. But we got to her before  
she did the ritual." Buffy said. "The ritual is-"  
"I know what the ritual is. Willow told me." Angel said.  
"When did she tell you?" Dawn said.  
"When she came that night." Angel said. "The morning after we talked for awhile."  
"Oh." Dawn said. Willow snuggled into Angel's chest and moaned. She was so tired and felt so  
weak.  
"O comes after N." Tara giggled. Willow was sorry to say it, but she was in no condition to take  
care of Tara tonight. She looked at Buffy and Dawn with her famous pleading expression, with a hint of  
Resolve Face. It must have worked because Buffy nodded at her and laughed.  
"I promise Dawn and I will worry about Tara tonight. You just rest up. And Angel, just let her  
sleep." Buffy said.  
"What?" Angel said innocently.  
"Don't be shy, Angel. I know about the two of you and I'm fine with it. You and I, we're over. I  
understand that. But, if you hurt her I'll kick your vampire behind and stick Mr. Pointy through your  
heart." Buffy said. Dawn nodded.  
"And I'll take your ashes and throw them in the fireplace and burn them until there's nothing left."  
Dawn said.  
"Hey!" Willow said. "There are little ears in the room! He can hear you! No mention of death,  
violence, ashes, or burning in front of the baby." She pointed to her stomach. "And besides. We don't even  
know what his powers are going to be." They looked at her strangely. "I read in one of Giles' books that a  
witch passes on her magic to her children. Which in turn gives them active powers."  
"I hope he can't read minds. Or you two are going to have a serious problem." Buffy said. Theyall laughed, except for Tara, who just sat looked strangely at them. Then Willow felt a sharp jab in her  
stomach and gasped in pain. She stopped laughing.  
"What is it, sweetie?" Angel said. She barely hear him. She grabbed his shoulder and squeezed as  
hard as she could.  
"Is the baby kicking again." Dawn said. Willow jerked her head from side to side to say no. She  
knew it wasn't a kick. But something, no someone else. It was Glory, otherwise called Glorificus.  
"G-Glory!" Willow gasped.  
"What!?" Angel shouted.  
"S-She's . . ." Willow groaned and clutched her stomach. "S-she's ripping the b-baby out!"  
Willow panted and tried to catch her breath. In the background, she heard Tara whimpering and crying.  
"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?" Willow heard Glory, but didn't see the hell god. Then  
Glorificus appeared, her hands inside of Willow's stomach. "Oh, well. I'll just carry on then." Glory dug  
her hands in Willow's stomach even deeper. Willow could feel her grab a hold of the baby.  
"A-Angel!" Willow mouthed. She tried doing magic, but she couldn't think straight. She couldn't  
even breathe. She knew that if she lost consciousness, she would probably never wake up, and her baby  
would be dead. She tried with all her strength and power to stay awake. She tried, she really did. "I t-tried  
. . ." She whispered. The world went dark.

Angel saw his Willow collapse and go limp. "No!" He screamed.  
He and Buffy were trying to get Glory off of Willow. Dawn was with Tara on the floor. Tara was  
screaming her head off and struggling to get away from Dawn. But Angel couldn't think about Dawn or  
Tara or Buffy. All he could think about was this evil hell god that was killing and his Willow and his  
unborn child. He could hear a human heartbeat from within Glory. If he could draw the human out, he  
could kill the male and that would hopefully get rid of Glory.  
"Hey. You're the yummy honey who fathered Red's brat." Glory said.  
"Who's inside of you, huh? Why don't you tell him to come out and play?" Angel taunted.  
"You think I'm afraid of a vampire? I took out the blonde one without so much as breaking a nail.  
You'll be easy." Glory said.  
"Really? Was that blonde one Spike? Well. You'll be pleased to know that Spike is the biggest  
wuss I've ever grand-sired. Of course you could beat him. But what about me? Be him. Be the man  
who's inside of you. Be him! Be him!" Angel bellowed.  
"Alright, alright. Stop screaming . . ." Glory stopped mid-sentence and changed into the male.  
" . . . like an idiot." The male finished. He looked at Angel. "Who are you?"  
"I'm a very pissed off vampire. And you're human." He picked Willow up off the ground and  
gently shoved her at Buffy. The Slayer caught her and set her on the couch. Angel saw Dawn go over to  
Willow and kneel beside the witch. Angel vamped out and leapt at the man. Angel growled and bit down  
on the male's neck. He drank the blood, and it gave him a rush. Glory's power was in it. Convinced he  
had enough to get rid of Glory, he stopped drinking. He punched Glory's alter ego and the male went  
flying back. He went through the wall and crashed to the outside. The man changed back into Glory.  
"I'll be back for what's rightfully mine!" Glorificus shouted. Then she disappeared.  
Angel ran back into the house and straight to his Willow. Buffy and Dawn were kneeling beside  
the red-haired witch. Tara was sitting on the floor, her knees up to her chin.  
"Buffy? Is she-" Angel couldn't bring himself to say it. "She's alive. But her pulse is weak, and her breathing's shallow. We need to get her to a doctor."  
Buffy said. Angel looked out side. The side was just about set.  
"I'll take her there. You guys stay here, lay low." Buffy and Dawn nodded. Angel picked Willow  
up and flew out the door.

"Help! Somebody help her! Please!" Angel kicked open the door of the hospital's emergency  
room. Everyone stared at him. Then a man in a white lab coat and a nurse ran up to him.  
"What happened, sir?" The man asked. Angel set Willow down on a nearby bed.  
"S-She was attacked. Please, you have to save them!" Angel said. He couldn't lose Willow or  
their child.  
"Sir, was someone else hurt? Is someone else coming?" The doctor said.  
"No! The . . . baby. Glory, she tried to--"  
"Tried to do what, sir?" The doctor said.  
"Never mind. Just help her! She's . . . she's" He looked down into Willow's closed eyes.  
"Is she your wife?"  
"Uh, no. She's the mother of my child." He looked down at Willow's stomach. There were two  
huge bruises where Glory had dug into her.  
"She's pregnant?"  
"Ah, yeah. She's about two and a half months along. But . . . but you have to save them!"  
"Okay sir. I'll show you to a waiting room." The nurse said. The doctor wheeled Willow down a  
hall and disappeared through doors. The nurse led him to a chair and he sat down, completely unfazed as  
the nurse talked to him. He only caught a little of what she said.  
" . . . family . . . call . . . attacked . . ." On the last word he jerked, remembering the horrible  
encounter with the hell god. "Sir?"  
"Huh?"  
"I asked you if there was any family of Miss Rosenberg's that you need to call."  
"No. No family. Just friends. Her parents . . . they're not close anymore." Angel said. He had  
never even met her parents.  
"Okay. There's a pay phone in the lounge, if you want privacy."  
Angel nodded. "Thanks." He knew he should call Buffy and tell her he got there in time. And he  
should call his friend in Los Angeles. And Giles. And Xander. And even though he hated to admit it, Mr.  
and Mrs. Rosenberg. But he didn't know the number. Buffy probably knew. He should call Buffy first.  
That's what he should do.  
He stood up and walked to the lounge. A mental patient was ranting and getting restless beside  
him, but he didn't even care. It was like he was completely unaffected by the world around him. He  
pushed through the lounge doors. Angel sat down at a chair where the phone was. He picked it up and  
dialed Buffy's number.  
"Angel?" Dawn said.  
"Yeah. Can I talk to your sister?" Angel said.  
"Sure. She's in the kitchen." Dawn paused for a minute. "Here she is."  
"How is she?" Buffy asked.  
"I don't know. I just got here." Angel said. In the background he heard something clatter to the  
floor.  
"Tara, no!" Angel heard Dawn shout."What happened?" Angel asked Buffy.  
"Tara's been antsy since the attack. It's because Willow isn't here."  
"Oh." Angel said, his voice flat.  
"Angel, you don't have to worry. Willow's your girl. She's not going anywhere. Even if Tara . . .  
get better."  
"I know."  
"And besides. Willow's not the kind of person to intentionally hurt someone. No matter who they  
are."  
"Oh, do you know Willow's parents' number?"   
"Yeah. Sure I do. Wait, why do you need their number? Is Willow dying?"  
"Yes. No. I don't know. Don't you think they should be called?"  
"Hell no. They won't care."  
"Think, Buffy. It Dawn had been hurt while you were on that quest, and no one had even tried to  
contact you."  
"That's different, and you know it. Dawn's my sister, not my daughter. And besides, that  
wouldn't happen. They would try. Willow would--" Angel heard a series of sobs come out from Buffy.  
"What's the matter, Buffy?" Angel asked.  
"Everything's falling apart, Angel. Mom's dead. Tara's lost. Glory wants Dawn. And now  
Willow's . . ." Buffy cried again.  
"It's gonna be okay Buffy." Angel said. The door to the lounge opened and a nurse came in.  
"Sir, the doctor needs to speak with you." The nurse said.  
"Is she okay? Is she okay?" Angel slammed the phone back on the receiver.  
"The doctor should talk to you." Angel followed the nurse out of the lounge and to a chair in the  
lobby. A doctor came up to him.  
"Are you Mr. Angel?" The doctor said. Angel wondered how the doctor knew his name.  
"Yes. Is Willow okay? Is the baby okay?"  
"Both of them are fine. She's been asking for you ever since she woke up. The baby is perfectly  
healthy. No real damage occurred. Though Miss Rosenberg will be quite sore for a few weeks. Would  
you like to see her?"  
"Yes, please." Angel thought he'd never ask.

"Angel!" Willow whispered breathlessly as he came into the room. She leaned forward and  
reached for his hand, but yelped as her stomach stretched. She pulled her hand back and panted. The pain  
had made her lose her breath for a minute.  
Angel came over to her and sat beside her. She squeezed his hand. She slowly sat up and leaned  
into his strong chest. He put his arms around her shoulders.  
"Is the baby okay? Am I okay? No one will tell me anything." She said hoarsely.  
"Everything's fine. The doctor told me that neither of you suffered any real damage." He kissed  
her on the forehead.  
"Angel, I can't live like this anymore! Glory's taken so much from me. Tara's gone. And almost  
our son and my own life. And Dawn and Buffy almost died too. I can't bear to think if she had gotten you  
too."  
"We're going to get through this, I promise you. We're going to kill that hell-god." Angel said.  
Willow looked into his eyes. "Our child will be safe."  
"You promise?" She said in her most innocent voice."I promise." Angel said. She gave him a quick kiss and looked into his eyes again.  
"Promise?" Willow said again. She was just teasing him now.  
"I promise." Angel said. He didn't even seem to be annoyed or angry. He was mellow, like Oz  
was. Willow kissed him again, but this time made it last longer.  
"Shame on you!" Willow and Angel broke the kiss and looked over at the door. It was Buffy,  
Dawn, and Tara. "Here we are, worried that Willow was dead, and here you two are, making with the  
smoochies." The three girls came in. "We were worried sick! Angel, why did you hang up on me?"  
"The doctor wanted to talk to me. To tell me that Willow was awake and asking for me."  
"Oh. But that's no excuse for making out while your friends are worried." Buffy said. "And  
besides. We're in the middle of a crisis."  
"Hel-lo! I'm in pain here! Stop fighting!" Willow said. Everyone looked at her. Buffy's face  
went from anger to guilt.  
"I'm sorry, Wil." Buffy said. "You know how Angel and I fight. But don't worry. He's yours  
know, and I accept that."  
"Thanks Buffy." She looked at everyone else. "Ah, could I talk to Buffy? Alone?"  
"Sure." Dawn said. She grabbed Tara by the arm. "Come on, Tara. Let's go get a snack." the  
teenager led Tara out of the room. Angel didn't move.  
"Please, Angel? I'll be fine. Go with Dawn and Tara. Be protecto-man."  
"Okay. Buffy, come get me if anything happens." Angel said. Buffy nodded. He walked out of  
the room.  
"So, what's up?" Buffy said as she sat on the edge of the bed.  
"I'm not ready for this!" Willow said.  
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Not ready for what, talking to me?"  
"No. For everything else. For being in such a delicate relationship, with a guy no less. I mean,  
Buffy, do you really think I'm ready to be a mother?"  
"Yes, I do. You're going to be a great mother, Wil."  
"I've been wondering how this all happened. I mean, vampires aren't supposed to conceive a child.  
So, why did Angel?"  
"I don't know. I think that's Giles' department, ya know? I'm better with the killin'."  
"Buffy!" Willow pointed to her stomach.  
"I'm sorry!" I'm not used to having a baby around."  
"You had Dawn!"  
"That's different."  
"How is it different?"  
"I'm the Slayer now. I wasn't when Dawn was born. And now I'm an adult. And the father of  
your baby is my ex-boyfriend."  
"Well yeah, but still. You have more experience with babies than I do. I've babysat before. But  
then I only had to watch them for a little while, then I gave them back. Now, this baby won't be leaving.  
It's like a permanent deal. What if I, like, lose him or something."  
"You're gonna be fine, Willow." Willow just ignored her.  
"How are Angel and I going to take care of him? I don't have a job, because, well, college girl.  
And Angel just has a detective agency. Oh God, where are we gonna live? He's in Los Angeles, and I'm  
in Sunnydale. And Tara, I have to take care of her too! And what if she never comes back?"  
"Willow."  
"And how is Angel going to feel, having Tara around. What about Glory? What if she takes him? No, I won't let her. I'll kill that bi--"  
"Willow! Ears, remember!"  
"Oops. Guess I entered babble world." She pulled the plastic gown up a little just above her  
stomach. "I'm sorry, baby." She put her gown back down.  
Buffy laughed. Willow just stared at her. "I'm sorry! I can't help it. It's just so adorable!" Buffy  
laughed again.  
"Buffy!" Willow whined.  
"I always thought you would be the whiner." Buffy and Willow jerked their heads to face the voice.  
Glory. Buffy stopped laughing. Willow crouched behind the Slayer, hoping that her best friend could  
protect her and the baby. Her bruises stretched and she screamed in pain.  
"Wil, stay down." Buffy said. Willow was more than happy to obey. Buffy stood up. "You know,  
I'm really getting sick of you, Glorificus. You tried to kidnap my sister, we got her back. You tried to kill  
me, it didn't work. You thought you had the Key, but it was just my friend. And you may have sucked her  
brains out, but we'll get her back. You tried to rip my best friend's child out of her own womb, but as you  
can see, she's still alive and pregnant." Willow yelped in pain as she crawled off the bed and behind a  
chair.  
"Barely. Where's the boytoy? Off raidin' the blood bank?" Glory said. Willow said nothing. She  
just looked at Buffy, pleading with her to stop this. "Oh well. I can kill a little witch and her baby without  
an audience. Just makes it that much more fun. Come on Red, let's go." Glory reached around Buffy and  
grabbed Willow's hand. The hell god dragged the witch along the floor.  
"No!" Willow screamed. She saw Buffy try to stop Glory, but the hell god punched the Slayer  
sending her flying out the door and through a wall. Buffy didn't move. "Angel!" Willow shouted at the top  
of her lungs.  
"Here!" Angel said two seconds later. Willow and Angel's eyes met, and as soon as Angel saw  
Glory, his face morphed into his vampire visage. "Get your hand off my girlfriend!"   
"Hmmm. What are you going to do about it? Make Ben come out? Beat up a human? I'm so  
scared. Don't think so." She punched Angel with her free hand, but Angel moved out of the way. Yes,  
Willow thought. Glory punched Angel again, and this time hit his face. He dropped to the floor, out cold.  
But Glory still had a hold of her. She had to get away. Now. She wrapped her legs one of the bolted  
chairs, trying to make Glory let go of her hand. But Glory just squeezed tighter. Willow heard her own  
bones cracking as Glory squeezed it. Blood dripped out as Glory dug her sharp fingernails into Willow's  
flesh.  
"Aaahhh!" Willow screamed. She looked down and saw a large puddle of blood on the floor.  
"How does it feel, witch. It's exactly what I did to your little girlfriend. She didn't scream quite as  
much, though. Oh well. Just goes to show who had more spine, or bone."  
Then Glory flew across the room for what seemed like no apparent reason. Where Glory had been  
standing, Buffy now stood. She looked ragged and disheveled looking. Glory disappeared.  
"Come on, we have to get out of here." Buffy grabbed Willow good hand. She went over to Angel,  
picked him up, and flung him over her shoulder. Willow struggled to keep up as Buffy led her running  
through the hospital. "Dawn! Dawn!" Dawn and Tara appeared, coming from the cafeteria. "Buffy, what happened?"  
"We have to go. Glory attacked again." They ran out of the hospital and to Mrs. Summer's old  
Jeep. Willow crawled in the back with great discomfort. Her hand was still bleeding and it really hurt.  
Buffy got in the driver's seat. Dawn went up front. Tara was next to Willow. Angel was passed out on  
the floor at Willow's feet. As soon as the last door was shut, Buffy drove off.  
"Buffy," Willow said breathlessly. "Where are we going?"  
"Los Angeles. To Angel's hotel. We're gonna pick up Giles, Xander, Anya and Spike first. We'll  
get a van or something so we can all travel together." Buffy said. "Dawn, there's a towel in the glove  
department. Give it to Willow so she can put it on her hand."  
Dawn took the towel out and handed it back to Willow. Willow took it from the teenager and  
wrapped her hand. She squeezed the towel to stop the bleeding. But it hurt, a lot. She hissed in pain.  
"Does it hurt?" Dawn said softly.  
"Very much. Just wish I had some, ah, pain reliever or something." Willow answered. She held  
up her wounded hand. She carefully picked up Tara's injured hand. "See, baby. We match now."  
"Ah, Willow. When we get to Angel's hotel we'll take you to a doctor for your hand. But once  
you're done, we're leaving, okay?" Buffy said.  
"Okay." Willow said.  
"Why don't you guys get some rest. I'll keep driving. Oh, Dawn? There's also a bag in the glove  
box. It has Tara's pills. Can you give them to her?" Buffy said.  
"I got it. Could you just hand them back? And please don't make me reach. It hurts." Willow  
said.  
"Sure." Dawn said. Her voice was flat and expressionless. The teenager handed the pills back to  
Willow. Willow took them and opened the bottle.  
"What's wrong, Dawnie?" Willow asked.  
"Nothing." Was all Dawn said.  
"Yes there is. What's wrong?" Willow asked again.  
"It's just, everyone keeps getting hurt because of me." Dawn said.  
"That's . . . that's not true Dawn." Buffy said, her eyes still on the road.  
"Yes, it is. Tara got hurt because Glory thought she was the Key, but I am. And because Willow  
tried to fix Tara, Glory's after her and the baby. And Angel's out cold. And Willow's hand is hurt.  
Wouldn't it just be better to let her kill me?"  
"No, Dawnie. No." Buffy said.  
"Dawn, none of this is your fault." Willow said. "Glory's after me and the baby because of  
something I did. Not you. You didn't ask to be the Key. I understand that. It's not your fau- Whoa!" All  
of a sudden there was a sharp pain in her gut.  
"What's is it? What's wrong?" Buffy asked. She looked through the rear-view mirror.  
"The baby, he kicked!" Willow said. She looked at Tara. "Tara, do you wanna feel the baby?"  
Tara didn't answer, so Willow picked up her hand and placed it where the baby was kicking. The baby  
kicked again and Tara's finger's bounced on Willow's stomach. "Wasn't that cool?"  
Tara's eyes went wide and her gaze shifted from Willow's stomach and face. "Too much! Too  
much!" Tara said. She rocked back and forth and started crying. She started stomping her feet. Willow  
tried to calm her down, but it wasn't working. Willow went to touch Tara's cheek, but Tara pulled away.  
She slapped Willow's hand and kept hitting her shoulder.  
"Tara, stop it!" Willow said."What's she doing?" Buffy said.  
"She won't stop hitting me!" Willow said.  
"Evil, evil! All evil!" Tara said over and over. She started whimpering and crying.  
"What is she talking about?" Dawn said. Some of Willow's blood from her hand dripped on the  
floor.  
"I don't know. She started freaking out when she felt the baby kick." Willow said. Angel moaned  
on the floor. He got up and sat beside Tara.  
"Where are we?" Angel said.  
"Headed to your hotel." Willow said. He looked over at her.  
"Are you okay?" Angel said.  
"Not completely, but yeah. What about you?" Willow said.  
"Groggy. And a little hungry." Willow looked over at him. "Pig's blood, honey. Not humans."  
Willow relaxed and sighed in relief.  
"Well, you can probably smell mine. Glory crushed my hand. Which, by the way, hurts like you  
wouldn't believe."  
"I know." Angel said.  
"You had your hand crush before?" Willow asked.  
"No. I knew you were bleeding. The smell of it was what woke me up."   
"Okay, is anyone else creeped out by that?" Dawn asked.  
"No, it smelled like . . . strawberries. Did you know that you can tell a lot by the way their blood  
smells?" Angel said.  
"And somehow, it must gets creepier." Buffy said.  
"I think it's . . . sweet." Willow said. Dawn gagged.  
"It aroused me." Angel said. Willow gave him a goofy grin and giggled. Buffy gagged now.  
"Over share!" Buffy said.  
"Get a room!" Dawn said.   
"Okay, I think we will." Willow said. Angel laughed.  
"No, no!" Buffy and Dawn said at the same time. Buffy turned the corner and Willow's stomach  
stretched.  
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Angel said.  
"Yeah." Willow said. "Just sore."  
"We can grab some aspirin at Xander and Giles' house." Dawn said.  
"That would be good." Willow said.  
"We're closer to Xander's place." Buffy said. "In fact, we're there now." The car stopped.  
"Angel, why don't you stay in the car with Willow and Tara. Dawn and I'll go in."  
"Okay." Angel said. Dawn and Buffy got out of the car.  
"Don't leave me with the evil!" Tara shouted as the car door closed. She started waving her arms,  
but Willow held them down.  
"What is she talking about?" Angel asked.  
"I wish I knew." Willow sighed.  
"And you said she's been like this for almost three months?" Angel said. Willow nodded. "It has  
to be hard on you. So much stress."  
"Yeah, it is. But I have to be strong. For everyone. If I wasn't here, Buffy would still be in a  
coma and Glory would have Dawn." Willow said.  
"That's why I love you. Because you're a hero." Angel said.  
"Not so much. With the hero, I mean. But I could see why you love me."  
"No, really. You are a hero. You've sacrificed everything to help Buffy." "Yeah, I guess I have. But it's no big deal. You know, I've never told anyone this, but I had the  
biggest crush on you when I was in high school."  
"Really?"   
"Yeah. But I didn't tell anyone because you got with Buffy. Then I met Oz. Then you left. And  
Oz left. And Tara came." She looked at Tara. who was asleep. "But now, Tara's gone."  
"Don't say that." Angel said. "You'll get her back."  
"And then what? I'm having a baby, Angel. Our baby. And I'm freaking out. How do I choose  
between the two of you?"  
"You have to let your heart decide. You'll choose what's right when the time comes."  
"And when is that time gonna come? Now? Tomorrow? When I'm in labor? When, Angel?"  
"I don't know. But when the time is right, you'll know."  
The door opened, and Buffy appeared. "Guys, we're gonna rent a van. I'm gonna go get Giles  
and the van and come back here. Why don't you guys go up until I get back?"  
"Okay." Willow said. Buffy disappeared as she ran down the street. Willow looked at Angel.  
"Could you please carry Tara in? If you're up to it, I mean." Angel nodded. "It's just, she's finally asleep,  
and I don't wanna wake her."  
"Sure." Angel said. He climbed out of the Jeep and Willow helped him slide Tara out of the  
vehicle without waking her. "What about you? Are you okay to walk? I could hold your hand, just in  
case."  
"That would be wonderful." she slowly climbed out and stood up. She felt dizzy and stumbled a  
little. Before she even knew what was happening, Angel hand was on her shoulder. "Thank you sweetie."  
Willow slowly walked up Xander's driveway, Angel and Tara behind her. It seemed to take forever, but  
she finally reached the door. She pressed Xander's button on the buzz-in machine.  
"Who is it?" Came Anya's voice.  
"It's Willow. Buzz us in."  
"Okay. Wait, who's 'us'?"  
"You'll see we get up there." Willow said. The machine buzzed and Willow opened the door. She  
slowly climbed the steps to the first floor. She was about to climb the second flight when she felt a tap on  
her shoulders.  
She turned around. It had been Angel. "Ah, honey. Why don't we use the elevator?"  
"Right. That would be easier than walking up four flights of stairs." She walked over to the  
elevator, all the while holding her stomach. All this walking made it hurt. She pressed the up button and a  
few seconds later the door opened. They stepped in. Willow pressed the four on the key and the elevator  
went up. 1. 2. 3. 4. Ding! The door opened. They walked out and Willow led Angel up to Xander's  
door. She knocked and waited.  
"Who is it?" Xander said from the other side of the door.  
"It's Willow. Let us in." The door opened. Xander came at her and hugged her. But he was  
squeezing too hard. "Ow! Xander, let go!" He immediately did.  
"Sorry." Xander said. " Come in. Where's Tara?" He obviously didn't see Angel.  
"Angel's got her." Willow said. Xander's eyes went wide.  
"It's true!?" Xander shouted. Tara stirred.  
"Ssshhh!" Willow whispered. "Tara's finally asleep."  
"You actually slept with him?" Xander shouted in whisper."Don't start. I'm in too much pain to deal with this. Can I please sit down?"  
"Yes. Yes you can." Anya said. The ex-vengeance demon looked at Angel. "Xander was just  
being an insensitive jerk, as always."  
"Anya!" Xander said. "Come help me clear off the couch so Dead Boy can set Tara down." Anya  
seemed unfazed at Xander's attempt to mock Angel. She went into the living room. Willow followed  
Anya, as did Angel and Xander. Willow sat down on a chair and winced in pain.  
When the couch was clear, Angel set Tara down and stood behind Willow. Xander and Anya sat  
on the other chair. Willow looked down at her hand. It was throbbing, and still bleeding. She pressed  
harder on the towel.  
"So. Everything Buffy told us was true." Xander said.  
"Yes." Willow said. Angel rubbed her shoulders and she sighed in pleasure.  
"And he's still Angel right, not Angelus?" Anya said.  
"Yes. I still have my soul." Angel said.  
"Really. 'Cause I mean, Buffy told us, but I still don't understand. How in the hell does this  
work?" Xander said.  
"I re-ensouled him, so I can't make him lose his soul."  
"So, let me get this straight. You slept with him, and now you're pregnant." Willow nodded. And  
Glory wants both you and the baby dead."  
"Yes." Willow said.  
"And now, we're goin' on a field trip to Dead Boy's house." Xander said. Angel nodded.  
"Hey, where's Dawn?" Willow said.  
"She's asleep in our bedroom." Xander said.  
"Oh. Well, sleep sounds really good right now." Willow said. "I am so tired." Angel stopped  
massaging her shoulders. "Hey, why'd you stop?" She turned her head to look at him.  
"Sorry." Angel said. He started again.  
"Thank you." Willow said.  
"Why don't you do that, Xander?" Anya said.  
"Do what?" Xander said.  
"Massage my shoulders with your manly hands." Anya said.  
"I don't know." Xander said.  
"You massage me other places, but never my shoulders." Anya said. Willow looked at Xander and  
saw that he was blushing.  
"Do you remember that talk we had?" Xander said.  
"The one where you told me that our personal life is between the to of us?" Anya said.  
"Yes. Right now, you are over sharing." Xander said.  
"But I'm confused. Angel and Willow are talking about their s-"  
"Hey! We're right here!" Willow said.  
"Yes, but we're talking about your personal life. The one that's causing all the problems. The one  
that made a baby who Glory wants to kill. And now we have to leave our comfortable homes to go to Los  
Angeles, a place we've never been. And the only two who have every been there are the two of you."  
Willow just stared at her. "Did I mention I'm confused?"  
"Once or twice." Angel said. "You know, you're just like Cordelia."  
"How?" Xander said.  
"Yeah, they are." Willow said. "They both say what's on their mind without thinking about it first.  
They both have dated Xander. They only real difference is the color of their hair. But even Cordelia acted  
like a blonde.""Actually, Cordy dyed her hair blonde and cut it shorter." Angel said.  
"Oh. I didn't notice. They really are alike." Willow said.  
"Who's alike?" Dawn came in from Xander and Anya's bedroom. She rubbed her eyes.  
"Anya and Cordelia." Willow said. "How was your nap?"  
"Good. Is Buffy back yet?" Dawn asked.  
"Nope." Willow said. Dawn sat on the arm of the chair where Tara was sleeping.  
"I have a question." Dawn said. "How exactly is going to Los Angeles going to help us?"  
Well, you'll have more people to help out. More room. You can all stay in the hotel. Maybe  
resources." Angel said.  
"That's my guy. Always got a plan." Willow sighed dreamily. She stopped when the door opened.  
"Got a van. Let's go." Buffy said.Six and a half months later; Los Angeles, California  
"Angel!" Willow whined. "I am so sick of being pregnant!"  
She was lying bed on her side with Angel right next to her, his arms around her. Her stomach was  
killing her, and she had a massive headache.  
"I know honey. But remember, it could happen any day now. So don't stress yourself." Angel  
said.  
"I want him to come out now! It hurts, Angel. And I'm as big as a house." Willow whined.  
"But you're a very beautiful house." Angel joked. Willow laughed for a minute then remembered  
so was supposed to be whining. She hit him on the shoulder.  
"You're supposed to be helping me. Not making fun of me."  
"Who said I'm making fun? You are very beautiful." He kissed her.  
"And you're very handsome." Willow smiled. She kissed him, but her stomach felt queasy. "Hold  
that thought." She ran for the bathroom.  
When she was finished, she got a washcloth wet and out it on her forehead. She went back to her  
and Angel's room.  
"Sweetie, I'm gonna go get some saltines." Willow said. She put her robe on and headed for the  
door.  
"Okay, but don't be gone for too long. Doctor Cordelia said you were supposed to rest." Angel  
said. She gave him one last kiss and said she would only be gone for a minute. She went out into the hall.   
She looked down to avoid seeing The Room. Out of habit, she looked at the door to The Room. Memories  
flooded her brain. Memories of how Tara died. It all came back to her.  
Over the months since they got to Los Angeles, Tara had gotten worse. Her rantings happened  
more often, and she couldn't be calmed down. They had to restrain her arms and legs at night. They  
couldn't take her out in public anymore because she would get extremely agitated and wild. She was  
uncomfortable around everyone but Dawn. She didn't even know who Willow was anymore.  
One morning Willow had awoken and had gone to check on Tara. She had gone in Tara's room to  
bring her down to breakfast. She had seen that Tara was sitting up in bed, the restraints off her arms. But  
she wasn't staring into space like she usually did. She was attentive, and alert. As soon as Willow had  
opened the door, Tara had jerked her head to face Willow.  
"Willow, where am I?" Tara had said.  
To Willow, is had sounded like the old Tara. The one from before Glory's brutal attack. But  
Willow had had to be sure.  
"Baby? Tara, is that really you?" Willow has gone over to the bed and undid the leg restraints."Yes. Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" Tara had said. Willow was convinced.  
"It's you! It's really you!" Willow had hugged her.  
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"  
"You don't remember?"  
"Remember what?"  
"Glory thought you were the Key, so she attacked you. When she found out you weren't, she . . .  
sucked out your brain."  
"What!?"  
"Yeah. I've been trying for months to bring you back. And now you're her."  
"I guess I am. Wait, months? How long have I been . . . like this?"  
"Almost ten months. A lot has changed."  
"Like what?"  
"Well, we're in Los Angeles, at Angel's hotel hiding from Glory. We haven't been able to get rid  
of them."  
"What about everyone else? Are they okay?"  
"Yeah. I was going to bring you down for breakfast. Wanna say hi to everyone?"  
"Sure. But first, tell me that you're all right. Tell me you're okay."  
"I'm fine." Willow said. She looked down at the floor. "Listen Tara, there's a lot I need to  
explain. About me and--" She looked up. Tara was lying back down on the bed, her eyes wide. Willow  
noticed her chest wasn't rising and falling like it should be. She checked Tara's pulse. There wasn't one.  
Willow screamed.  
"No!" She sobbed. She got up, back away from the bed toward the wall. When she hit the wall,  
she ran out of the room and downstairs to the lobby. Buffy, Dawn, Angel, and Cordelia were sitting at the  
table. "S-she's-" Willow said. She fell to her knees and started crying. "S-she's dead!"  
"Willow, who are you talking about?" Buffy had said.  
"Tara." Willow sniffled. "She came back to normal. She was fine. We talked. She was fine. She  
asked me how I was. I said fine. I looked up, and saw she was dead." Willow just let the sobs come out.  
Angel came up to her and stood her up. "Why did she have to die? I could have taken care of her. She  
could have lived." Willow said. "Why Angel? Why?" She pressed her face in his chest and cried.  
"Ssshh. It's okay." Angel said. He kissed her forehead.  
"How is it okay?" Willow snapped. "How is okay that she's dead?"  
"She's at peace now, Willow. She's not suffering anymore." Dawn said.  
Two days later, they had buried her.  
Thinking back, Willow remembered being angry at Tara for dying. Now she was just sad. She  
also remembered going into false labor that day. That was three weeks earlier. And with the baby coming  
at any time now, Willow was on edge.  
She grazed the door to Tara's old room with her fingers and continued down the hall. She went  
down the stairs to the lobby. She just saw Anya and Xander at the table.  
"Morning, Wil." Xander said. He was reading the paper.  
"Morning Xander, Anya." Willow said.  
"How ya feelin'"Xander said.  
"Queasy. And achy." Willow said. She sat down. She saw Fred sneak down the stairs towards  
the kitchen. "Hey Fred." Fred jumped, stopped, and turned to them."Ah, hi." Fred said. The girl was still traumatized from being stuck in a demon dimension called  
Pylea for five years. She ran out of the room.  
"When is she going to stop being crazy?" Anya said. "It's annoying."  
Willow rolled her eyes. "Anya, she's not crazy." Xander said. "She's just . . . shy."  
"If she's not crazy , then I'm rich." Anya said. The baby kicked and Willow put her arms around  
her stomach.  
"What's wrong!? Are you in labor?" Xander said. He got up and went over to her. He held out  
his arms to her. Willow shook her head.  
"No. He's just kicking." Willow said. She pushed his arms away.  
"Don't worry me like that!" Xander said. He sat back down.  
"I'm fine." Willow said. "Honest." Buffy and Dawn walked down the stairs.  
"How's the mom-to-be?" Buffy said.  
"Great. Well, as great as one feels when they're over nine months pregnant." Willow said.  
"Exactly. You should be up in bed. Not down here." Buffy said.  
"Or you-know-who isn't gonna be happy." Dawn said.  
"You bet I'm not gonna be happu." Cordelia said as she walked in the room from her office. She  
went straight over to Willow and stood her up. "Now shoo! Back to bed with you Missy!" Cordy gently  
pushed her toward the stairs.  
"But--" Willow pouted. They climbed the first few stairs. She flet a little queasy, but then it went  
away.  
"No buts. Now you're gonna go back in that bed and stay there until that boy of yours comes  
out." Willow gave up. There was no way she was winning this by herself. She looked at Buffy and the  
others for help. They were all staring at her wide eyed and silent.  
"Ah, Cordelia--"  
"Nope. You're gonna go up there and stay." Cordy said. "Doctor Cor--"  
"Cordelia!" Willow shouted. Cordy stopped talking and they both stopped climbing. "What's  
wrong with them?"  
Cordelia looked back too. Willow could see that Cordy was just as confused. Then, Willow  
watched as Cordelia looked down at their feet.  
"Willow, don't freak out or anything, but your water just broke." Cordelia said. There was a fake  
smiled on her face.  
"Oh no! I'm in labor!" Willow screamed. She gasped as the first contraction hit her. "Aaahh!"  
To Be Continued . . .


	2. Newborn

**Parenthood**

Summary: Willow shows up in Angel's room instead of Darla. A month and a half later . . . The next chapter should be coming soon.

**Chapter 2: The Newborn**

? "Aahhhh!" Willow screamed. "Angel, it hurts. It hurts so much!"  
"I know sweetie, I know." Angel said. Willow was about ready to slap him upside the  
head.  
"Getting this freaking thing out of me!" Willow screamed. She clutched the sides of the  
table so hard her fingers turned purple.  
"You're only two centimeters along." Cordelia said. She had latex gloves on that were  
now covered in Willow's blood.  
"You've got to be kidding me!" Willow said through clenched teeth.  
"I wish I were." Cordelia said.  
"This has been going on for over ten hours. Isn't there something we can do to make this  
go faster?" Angel said. Willow squeezed his hand as hard as she could, hoping it would get rid  
of the pain. Cordelia shook her head. "She's in pain, Cordy."  
"I know. I can hear her swearing." Cordelia said. "I'm right here."  
"How much longer?" Willow pleaded.  
"I don't know. But I think we need to get you to a hospital. You're bleeding a lot more  
than you should be. And I can't see anything." Oh God, Willow thought, that can't be good.  
"Right." Angel said. "Gunn, go get the van. Dawn, Anya, Fred, get some blankets and  
pillows. Giles, Xander, get the bags. Wes, Buffy, get some weapons just in case Glory shows  
up. I'll carry Willow. Spike, you stay here. Cordy, grab some medical supplies for the drive  
there. Oh, and someone needs to drive." Angel picked Willow up. Everyone but Willow,  
Cordelia, Angel, and Spike left the hotel. The contraction ended, and the pain was gone.  
"Angel, I can walk now. Put me down." Willow said.  
"No. The last time I let you walk around you went into labor." Angel said. "And besides,  
you're still bleeding out."  
"Fine." Willow pouted. But he was right, she was bleeding quite a bit.  
"Well, well." An unfamiliar voice said. "Angelus, we meet again."  
"Who is that?" Cordelia said. She looked at Angel curiously.  
"Don't know. But why's he here? And why did he call Angel Angelus?" Spike said.  
Willow looked up at Angel. His face was shock white.  
"Holtz?" Angel said. Willow started at the man Angel called Holtz.  
"Who's Holtz?" Willow breathed.  
"My, my Angelus. You haven't changed a bit, have you? Still enjoying human pain I  
see. If you're here then Darla can't be too far." Holtz said. Willow shivered when she heard him  
speak.  
"You're wrong. I have changed. And Darla's not here." Angel said.  
"Put the girl down." Holtz said.  
"I can't. She's bleeding too much." Angel said.  
"What do yo want?" Willow said through gritted teeth. She really didn't like this guy.  
"I want for this vile creature to be sent to hell to pay for what he's taken from me." Holtz  
said.  
"What? Why do you want him dead?" Willow said, concerned for her boyfriend's safety.  
"This doesn't concern you, girl. Now--" Willow cut him off."This does so concern me! He's my— Aaahh!" Another contraction. More blood. She  
screamed.  
"What is wrong with her?" Holtz said. Willow panted, trying to catch her breath.  
"Angel, we really need to get her to a hospital." Cordelia said. Willow couldn't agree  
more. She  
wanted an epidural. Now. She screamed again. Angel kissed her forehead.  
"I know." Angel said. He put Willow in Spike's arms. "I know we hate each other, but just get  
her to the hospital. It's important . . . to me." The contraction ended and Willow sighed in relief.  
"You got it. I'll get Red there." Spike said. "Besides. We're family, grandsire."  
"Yes. By all means. Take the girl so I can send this evil creature to the fire it belongs too."  
Willow looked fearfully at Angel. "Then, I'll come for her too."  
"Go!" Angel commanded. Spike rushed out the door with Willow in his arms. Cordelia was  
right behind them. Willow saw the big black ban they used out front. The door was open, and the rest of the  
gang was already in, with Xander in the driver's seat. Cordelia climbed in. Spike put Willow on the floor  
in the middle of the van.  
"Where's Angel?" Fred said.  
"Got a little held up. Man of some sorts said he wants Angel dead then he's comin' back for Red.  
I'm goin' back to lend a hand." Spike said. Buffy was about to get out. "Stay. Just get Red fixed up by  
Doctor Whosit." With that, he shut the door and disappeared from Willow's view.  
"Drive!" Buffy shouted. The Slayer knelt beside Willow and rubbed her shoulder. It eased some  
of the pain. With her other hand, she held Willow's hand. Willow squeezed the Slayer's hand.  
"Buffy, we're not gonna make it. He's coming really fast now. I can--" She grunted as a really  
big contraction hit. "—feel it. And I'm so . . . tired." She closed her eyes but Buffy shook Willow's head.  
"No, stay awake. You're gonna make it. I know you can Willow. Just breathe." Buffy said.  
Willow screamed as the urge to push became really strong. "Xander! How far away?"  
"Fifteen, twenty minutes." Xander said.  
"Buffy, that's not enough time. He's--" she panted to catch her breath. "He's gonna be here any  
second." Buffy looked at Cordelia.  
"We need a safe place for Willow to have this baby. We need to get there now." Buffy said.  
Willow looked at Cordelia. The ex-cheerleader had a helpless expression on her face. Then she smiled  
after a few minutes.  
"Xander! Turn left at the next light!" Cordelia said.  
"Where are we going?" Dawn said.  
"There's this place, Caritas. The Host has a sanctuary spell on it. No demon violence." Cordy  
said.  
"Sounds good to me. Just GO!" Willow shouted. She was sweaty and her red hair was sticking to  
her face. She was bleeding all over the van and getting weak because of it.  
Within minutes, they arrived at a blue building with a pink neon sign that said 'Caritas.'  
"Willow, can you walk?" Cordelia said.  
"N-no. He's . . . he's . . . AAHHH!"  
"Wil, what's wrong?" Xander said. Everyone got out. Except for Willow, who was still lying on  
the floor of the van.  
"Another contraction?" Fred said.  
"N-no. It's something . . . something else. The pain . . . it's . . . different." Willow said. She  
couldn't explain it. She felt pain, but it wasn't the kind she had been getting. It was . . . sharper. More  
painful. She couldn't move.Gunn picked her up and they went to the door of the building. Buffy kicked down the door.  
"Hey!" A voice said. They went down the stairs and a green demon with red horns appeared.  
"What do you think you're doing?" Cordelia went up to the demon.  
"Lorne, these are our friends. We need a safe place for Willow here to have her baby." Cordelia  
said. "There's this guy, he's after Angel and Willow."  
"Huh?"  
"Don't ask. Just . . . we need a place. She's just about ready to pop, if ya know what I mean."  
"Yeah, sure. How about my room?" Lorne said. He led them there and Gunn set Willow down on  
the bed. Everyone but Cordelia, Buffy, and Xander left the room. Willow gasped as the 'something else'  
came back.  
Cordelia parted Willow's legs. "Oh God!" Cordy shrieked.  
"What!?" Willow rasped.  
"All I see is blood. And not the normal kind either. It's really . . ." Cordelia said.  
"Dark." Buffy said. Cordelia nodded.  
"What does that mean?" Xander said.  
"I'm not sure, but I don't think it's good." Cordelia said.  
"What are we gonna do?" Buffy said.  
"I don't know. But I do know that we need to get this kid out. Now." Cordelia said.  
"What are you thinking?" Xander said. "C-section?"  
"None of us here know how to do that." Buffy said.  
"You can't . . . anyway." Willow panted. "I-I cast a spell. The only way he'll come out is the  
natural way. It was to protect . . . him."  
"Oh." Xander said.  
Willow was starting to feel really lightheaded and fatigued. She was having problems breathing  
too.  
"Wil, are you okay?" Buffy said.  
"No. I-I don't think I can stay . . . awake . . . much longer." Willow said. She was fading. Fast.  
"No Willow. Stay awake." Buffy said. "We need you to stay awake. Your baby needs you to stay  
awake."  
"I c-can't." Willow whispered, her eyelids slowly closing. Then she felt someone shake her and her  
eyes opened wide. Angel. "Don't leave me." She pleaded. Just like she had pleaded with Oz on Halloween  
night in that haunted house.  
"I'll never leave you." Angel said.   
"Angel, we've got a problem." Gunn said as he came in the room. Everyone else followed.  
"That guy, Holtz, he's back. We have to get out of here, quick." Dawn said.  
"Yes. He's thrown a barrel and a grenade into the club. The whole place is on fire." Giles said.  
"Lorne, is there another way out?" Angel said.  
"Just one. Behind the bed." Lorne said.  
"Buffy, Cordelia, keep her awake." Angel said. The whole bed shook underneath Willow as Angel  
pulled it away from the wall. Willow heard a couple of bangs and three or four cracks. The walls began to  
smoke and flame. Willow coughed as she inhaled smoke.  
"Let's go." Angel said. Everyone started going out. But Fred hadn't gone yet. Angel came over  
to Willow and picked her up. They went through the hole in the wall. They were hit with falling rain.  
Fred was right behind them. Willow screamed. She was convinced her baby was ready to come out."Angel!" She whispered. He set her on the ground.  
"What, honey?" Angel said.  
"He's here. He's coming out now!" Willow screamed again. She pushed as hard as she could.  
"Angel, Holtz is right behind us." Fred said. She knelt down and set Willow's head on her knees.  
The rain stopped dropping on Willow's face. She looked up. Fred was holding her jacket over.  
"Fred, go to the van." Angel said.  
"No. I'm staying here." Fred said.  
"Willow, honey. I need you to push really hard. We need to get him out now so we can get out of  
here." Willow did just as he said. She pushed hard and longer than she ever thought she could.  
She heard a cry that wasn't her own. Her son was finally out. And he sounded healthy and  
normal. Angel took off his duster and wrapped the newborn up. Willow watched with pride, joy, and relief  
as Angel held him up. The newborn baby was the most beautiful infant she had ever seen. Tears of  
happiness fell down Willow's cheeks.  
"Angel, we really need to go." Fred said. "Holtz is right there."  
Fred pointed behind Angel. Willow looked over Angel's shoulder. Holtz was pointing a loaded  
crossbow at them. She gasped and the world went dark.

Angel turned around and saw Holtz with the crossbow. He stood up. Still holding his son in his  
arms. He just stared at his enemy. Holtz didn't shout. He just started, his face almost sympathetic.  
"What are you doing?" A demon said to Holtz. "Kill him! Now!" Holtz dropped the crossbow to  
the ground.  
Angel ignored both Holtz and the demon. He handed his son over to Fred. Fred ran toward the  
van. Angel picked up Willow, who was unconscious now. He ran after Fred and got into the van. When  
Buffy saw Willow, her eyes went wide.  
"What's wrong with her?" Buffy said anxiously.  
"She passed out." Fred said. "Probably from blood loss."  
"Is she still breathing?" Xander asked. Giles was driving now.  
"Yes. She's just, weak." Angel said.  
"What about that guy, Holtz?" Anya said. "Is he still going to kill you?"  
"I don't know. But we need to get back to the hotel. We'll be safe there. For now." Angel said.  
When they got to the hotel, Angel carried Willow up to the door in his arms. She had awakened  
just before they hand pulled up to the curb. But even though she was awake, she wasn't fully . . . aware of  
her surroundings. Everyone was behind him, including his son who was still in Fred's arms.  
Angel pushed over the front door with his feet. He stopped. The lobby of the hotel was a complete  
wreck. He heard Willow gag. There were blood and entrails all over the place. Plaster, dry wall, and  
wood debris covered the floor. There were bodies strewn about in every direction.  
The rest of the gang bumped into him.  
"What the he--" Anya said. "Holy moly!"  
Dawn pointed at a body in black trapped underneath a column. "Spike!" Dawn said. The girl ran  
over to him and tried to pushed it off, but couldn't. Gunn helped her and the column was pushed off.  
Spike was unconscious. He'd be fine.  
"Where did all these bodies come from." Buffy asked. Angel set Willow down on the couch. She  
was sleeping again. He glanced at a body and saw the letters W&W on the collar. He looked at Wesley.  
"Wolfram & Hart." Wesley said. Angel nodded.  
"What do you think they want?" Giles said. Fred walked over to two steel boxes of some kind."Well. Whatever was in those cages could still be in here." Buffy said. Everyone looked wearily  
around the room. Fred pointed to the labels on the cages. They said 'mother' and 'baby.'  
"To study them." Wesley said.  
"That's disgusting and perverted." Buffy swallowed. Her nose scrunched up and she stuck her  
tongue out in distaste.  
"I couldn't agree more." Cordelia shivered.  
"Okay, gang. Let's get this place cleaned up and spotless, pronto." Xander said.

"I'm on doctor duty." Cordelia said. She took the baby from Fred and went over to the couch  
where Willow was sleeping. She knelt down.  
"I'm gonna help you that." Anya said. The ex-demon followed the ex-cheerleader over to the  
couch. Cordelia handed Anya the baby so she could looked Willow over.  
"Thanks." Cordelia said.  
"You can't have him back, he's mine." Anya said. Cordelia turned to look at her in disbelief.  
"What?"  
"Xander. He's mine now." Anya said again.  
"I don't want Xander. What makes you think I want him?" Cordelia said.  
"Well, you've been nice to him." Anya said.  
"Yeah, it's a think we humans do. Be nice to people." Cordelia said sarcastically. Anya just  
seemed to ignore her.  
"How are we going to stop this bleeding?" Anya said. "There's too much of it. It's disgusting."  
"Well, it's slowing down. It's almost stopped. She should be fine." Cordelia said. She took the  
baby back from Anya and held him over her shoulder. He cooed and gurgled.  
"How's the baby?" Cordelia heard Angel say.  
"Haven't gotten that far." Cordelia said. "Doing that right now." She moved the newborn and held  
him out in front of her. He was so adorable. He had chubby cheeks and a pudgy nose. His head was full  
of reddish-brown curly hair. He had bright green eyes and thin eyebrows. Yep, he definitely was his  
parents' son. He even had his mother's geeky grin and his father's broody stare.  
She checked him over and he seemed fine. Healthy as a horse. And he was smiling.  
"Ya know, he looks just like his father." Cordelia heard Willow say. She jerked her head up ans  
saw Willow smiling.  
"You're awake!" Cordelia said.  
"Yes, I am." Willow said. "And I feel much better." 

Willow held out her arms and Cordelia placed the newborn in his mother's arms. Willow smiled  
and squealed. "Isn't he just the cutest little thing." Willow tickled his chin and he giggled. "He's perfect."  
"Except for a name. He needs a name." Cordelia said. Willow hadn't thought about that. But she  
had the perfect name for her son.  
"Connor." Willow said. Angel looked up at them.  
"Why Connor? Why not Steven? I hear that's a good respectable name." Anya said.  
"Connor." Angel said. He smiled. "How'd you know?" He came over and knelt beside Willow.  
"You told me, remember. You said that Connor was your best friend's name when you were alive.  
You said that the two of you were so close you were almost brothers."  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot." Angel said. "Connor's a perfect name, sweetie"  
"What about a last name?" Dawn said. she came over by the group surrounding Willow and  
Connor."We'll use Rosenberg." Angel said.  
"What about a middle name?" Fred said. Willow looked at Connor.  
"Hmm. Connor Rosenberg, what should be your middle name?" Connor gurgled and giggled. He  
reminder her of Xander. That's perfect, she thought.  
"I have the perfect middle name. Connor Alexander Rosenberg." Willow said. Xander stared at  
her. "What?"  
"You would name your's and Dead Boy's miracle kid after me?" Xander said. "I'm honored."  
"Xander, it's just a middle name." Willow said.  
"But still, I'm honored." Xander said.  
"I was going to use James, after my favorite cousin. But Connor reminds me so much of you,  
believe it or not." Willow said.  
"Really? Well, it could be that we've known each other since we were babies." Xander said.  
"Could be." Willow agreed.  
"Well, the lobby's as clear as we can get it right now." Gunn said. Willow looked up. He wiped  
his forehead with the back of his hand.  
"Yes. I quite agree." Giles said.  
"What are we gonna do now?" Dawn said.  
"Shopping!" Cordelia said. Xander rolled his eyes. "What? We're going to need stuff. Baby stuff.  
Like, I don't know. What do babies need?" Everyone looked around the room helplessly.  
Anya looked at Buffy. "You have a little sister. You know what to do."  
"But I was like, six, when Dawn was born. I don't remember anything." Buffy said.  
"Does anyone here know anything about babies?" Anya said.  
Fred shook her head. As did Dawn, Angel, Xander, Giles, Willow, Wesley, Lorne, Gunn, and  
Cordelia.  
"Uh oh." Dawn said.  
"'Uh oh' is right." Gunn said. "Here we have this new baby and no one, not even the parents, know  
what to do. Yep. We're in trouble."  
"We'll just have to get baby books or something. Who's comin' with me?" Cordelia said.  
"Me!" Dawn said.  
"I'll stay here." Buffy said  
"Yeah, us three too." Angel said pointing to Willow and Connor.  
"I'd rather not." Giles said. "I'd like to research this Holtz further, as well as Glory."  
"I think I'll join Giles." Wesley said. Everyone else said they were going.

Ten minutes later, Dawn, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn, Xander, and Anya were gone. Lorne was upstairs  
in a room sleeping.  
Angel sat in an arm chair across from Willow watching her sleep. Connor was happily gurgling in  
his arms. Willow was smiling, so Angel figured that she must be having a good dream. She looked so  
beautiful. And she was the bravest person Angel had ever met.  
She didn't have to fight evil with Buffy. She could have gone to college anywhere she wanted.  
She didn't have to stay. But she did. And she lost so much because of it. Oz. Tara.  
That was part of why Angel loved her so much. Because she was smart, unselfish, brave, and just  
so loveable.  
He looked back down at Connor. This beautiful baby boy looked so much like his mother it was  
frightening. But he was also amazing, a miracle. And Angel was proud of his son. He was also proud of  
Willow. And he intended on loving her for eternity. In fact, he was going to marry her. By doing that, he  
would be openly showing how much he loved her and making it permanent and legal. But he would wait  
until she woke up and felt better. Then he would propose to the love of his life.  
Someone clapped in front of his face and he blinked to attention. He looked up and saw Buffy  
standing in front of him.   
"Didn't you hear me? I've been shouted at you and punching your shoulder for like five minutes."  
Buffy sat down on an arm chair next to Angel.  
"I must not have been paying attention." Angel switched Connor over to his other arm.  
"You totally spaced out. You were in, like la-la land or something." Buffy said, laughing.  
"Sshh. You'll wake her up." Angel whispered. He pointed at Willow.  
"Sorry." Buffy said guiltily. "'Cause a cranky new mom is an unbearable new mom, I know."  
Angel looked at her in confusion.  
"Something my mom used to say. She said that just after I was born, Dad would accidently wake  
her up, then she was cranky for the rest of the day. And considering the couple of temper tantrums I've  
seen Willow have, that rule definitely applies."  
"You're probably right." Angel agreed.  
"So, how's it feel to be a Dad, Dad?" Buffy asked.  
"Strange, but great." Angel answered. He lightly brushed his finger on Connor's cheek. "I mean,  
this is life, that I helped create. He's my son. In the two centuries I've been a vampire I never thought I'd  
become a father. Yet, here I am, in love and with a child. I'm excited but terrified at the same time."  
Angel told her.  
"You two are gonna be great parents." Buffy said.  
"I know Willow will be, but it's me I'm worried about."  
"You shouldn't be. I watched you for almost five minutes. Connor never cried, not once. It's  
because he know you're his father. And he knows you love him."  
"I do. And I love his mother too." Angel took hold of Willow's hand.  
"Angel, you never told us what that Holtz goy wants." Buffy said.  
"He wants Darla and me dead." Angel said.  
"Why?" Buffy said. Angel looked over at Willow, then down at Connor."  
"Because we killed his family. His wife, baby, and . . ." he gulped. "I turned his daughter into a  
vampire."  
"Oh." Buffy said quietly.  
"It's one of the many things I wish I hadn't done. But most of them are what I've done to you."  
"That's in the past." Buffy said. "You're with Willow now, and that won't happen."  
"I hope so. Because I couldn't bear to hurt her."  
"You better not. Or I'll stake your vampire behind." Buffy said. Angel glared at her. "I'm joking.  
But you still better not do it."  
"I won't, I promise." Angel said.  
"Good." Buffy said. "Now hand that baby over. It's Aunt Buffy's turn."  
Angel laughed. Buffy held out her arms and Angel placed his son in the Slayer's arms. Connor  
giggled and Buffy laughed.  
"I think he likes you." Angel said.  
"Well, I sure hope so." Buffy said. "Because I plan to spoil this kid so much you'll wanna stake  
yourself!"

"We need help!" Cordelia whined. She picked up the bags of diapers and held them up. Once saidaloe-lined and the other said plastic.  
"Strangely, I think Cordelia's right." Xander said. Cordelia rolled her eyes.  
"What are these?" Dawn held up something Cordelia didn't recognize.  
"Uh, I think they're teething rings." Fred said.   
"Do we need them?" Anya asked. Cordelia shrugged.  
"My sister had one of those. So we probably do." Gunn said. "I think."  
"Why don't we ask someone?" Anya suggested.  
"Good idea." Dawn said.

Willow woke up to the sound of a crying baby. Any other day it would have annoyed her. But  
today, right now, it was the sweetest sound in the world. She opened her eyes to find she was in her and  
Angel's room. The curtains were drawn, as usual. Her whole body screamed at her from pain, but  
somehow she was calmer and more at peace that she had ever been in her life. She was happy and satisfied  
with the way her life was going.  
She looked over by the window and saw a white bassinet. It hadn't been there before. That meant  
that Cordelia and the rest of the gang were back from their baby shopping trip. She wondered how long  
she had been sleeping. But it couldn't have been for more than a couple of hours.  
Carefully she got up and went over to the bassinet. She hadn't had the chance to hold her son yet.  
Even though she had been awake when she named him, she couldn't really remember what he looked like.  
She leaned over the bassinet. Connor was still crying, so Willow rubbed his temple to calm him  
down. His skin was soft and warm against her fingers. His face had a pinkish tinge that assured Willow  
he was normal and healthy. She hummed a lullaby her mother had sung to her when she was little. Connor  
stopped crying. He smiled, which made Willow's heart skip a beat. A few gurgles and Connor was asleep.  
He was perfect. There was nothing about him that Willow didn't adore. She just wanted to hold him for  
the rest of his life. But she knew that he would grow up. And though she hated to admit it, she probably  
wouldn't be able to hold on to him for more than five minutes before she passed out from exhaustion. But  
she really wanted to hold him. But she'd just have to wait for Angel or someone else. Then they could  
supervise so Connor wouldn't get hurt.  
"We've been wondering when you would wake up. I was just coming to check on the two of you."  
Willow jumped and turned around. Dawn was standing in the doorway. Willow sighed. "Oops. Sorry I  
scared you."  
"That's okay." Willow said. Her voice was scratchy and raspy.  
"How are you feeling?" Dawn said. She walked over to the bassinet.  
"I'm not sure yet. My throat hurts, but other than that I'm just achy. Shouldn't I be in more pain?  
I mean I just had a baby."  
"Lorne know a shaman that specializes in post-birth healing or something."  
"Very cool. How long have I been sleeping?"  
"Almost three days."  
"What?!"  
"Yeah. That's how you were healing. You're throat hurts because you were screaming in your  
sleep. Dementia, Lorne called it. Said that happens when someone's body goes through as much trauma  
as yours has. We were starting to worry you'd never wake up.""Connor woke me up." Willow said.  
"He did? He's never woken you up before." Dawn said. Willow shrugged.  
"Where is everyone?" Willow asked.  
"Downstairs. Researching Glory and Holtz." Dawn said. "I've been put on babysit duty.  
Apparently I'm 'not old enough for research.'"  
"Who said that?" Willow asked.  
"Who else?" Dawn scoffed.  
"Buffy, I'm guessing." Willow said.  
"You got that right. Little Miss Slayer who thinks she's in charge of everyone."  
"Well, Dawnie, when it comes to you, she is in charge. She's all you have left."  
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard that speech already." Dawn said. "'She gave up so much for you' you  
said."  
"Well, she did. Not just for you. For everyone." Willow said. "She may not show it all the time,  
but she loves you. You're her blood, Summer's blood. You're her family."  
"Just like you, Angel, and Connor are a family?" Dawn said. Willow nodded.  
"But more than that, we're all a family. You, me, Buffy, Angel, Xander, Anya, Lorne, Cordy,  
Fred, Gunn, Spike, Wesley, Giles, and Connor." Willow felt a tear drop off her nose.  
"And Tara." Dawn said. "And Mom." Willow nodded and hugged Dawn. The teenager was and  
would always be like a sister to Willow.  
"So," Willow said, wiping the tears out of her eyes, "what else had changed while I was sleeping?"  
"Fred and Gunn are dating. Xander and Anya are engaged." Dawn said. "Oh, and Buffy and  
Spike are dating too."  
"Really? Good for them. What about everyone else?" Willow said.  
"Cordelia and I have been taking turns checking on you and Connor. Buffy, Spike, and Gunn have  
been keeping the hotel on constant watch. Giles went back to London to help the Council find out more  
information on Glory and Holtz. Wesley's been researching here. Angel's a total wreck. Since we got  
back from the store, he hasn't let anyone but him hold Connor. He's really protective, of both of you. In  
fact, I'm surprised he's not up here. He usually is." Dawn said. "He probably just went to get a glass of  
blood or something."  
Willow suddenly felt dizzy and grabbed onto the bassinet for support. "Whoa!" She said.  
"Are you okay?" Dawn said. Willow shook her head. Dawn helped her over to the bed. "The  
shaman said you'd be a little dizzy when you woke up."  
"Oh." Willow said. "How's Fred though? Is she still . . ."  
"Crazy?" Dawn said.  
"I was going to say unstable, but I guess crazy works. Is she?"  
"No. Believe it or not, this whole crisis has made her really bold."  
"Really. You know, I know it wouldn't be long before she got out of that." Willow said.  
"Do ya wanna go down and get something to eat?" Dawn asked.  
"Sure." Willow said. "I'm starving."  
"We just have to bring Connor with us." Dawn said. "Angel orders, not mine."  
"You better carry him. I don't think I'm up to that just yet." Willow said.  
"Okay." Dawn said.

Dawn led the way don't the stairs, Connor sleeping in her arms, and Willow behind her. She was  
really nervous about carrying the baby. She had never been able to hold him before. Someone else hadalways been around to carry him for her. But now, she was the only one who could carry the newborn.  
Willow was too weak. If Dawn put Connor in his mother's arms, the red-haired sorceress would most  
definitely drop him.  
She stepped off the last step and walked into the lobby. Fred, Xander, and Anya were sitting on  
the various couches and chairs reading big musty books. Everyone else was no where in sight.  
"Hey!" Xander said. "Look who finally decided to join the ranks of the living."  
"Yep. I found her standing next to Connor's bassinet." Dawn said. She went over to the playpen  
and set Connor down. He cooed and went back to sleep.  
"How are you feeling?" Fred said.  
"Fine. Just a little dizzy." Willow said. "Where's Angel?"  
Anya rolled her eyes. "Where else would he be besides your bedroom? The nursery." Xander said.  
"What nursery?" Willow said. Dawn glared at him.  
"Xander!" Anya said. "You weren't supposed to say that!"  
"Oops." Xander said.  
"It's just like last year's Thanksgiving." Dawn said. "You were the one who told Buffy that Angel  
had been in Sunnydale. You the reason we came to 'visit our dad' and Buffy got all weird after that."  
"What nursery!?" Willow said again.  
"Surprise?" Xander said.  
"Where is it?" Willow said.  
"Where's what?" Buffy said. She came in from outside.  
"Xander told Willow about the 'surprise.'" Fred said.  
"Xander!" Buffy said.  
"What?!" Xander said.  
"Uh-oh. Angel's gonna be angry." Fred said.  
"Hel-lo!" Willow put her hands up to signal a time-out. "What nursery?"  
"The one Angel was putting together as a surprise for when you woke up." Dawn said. "Well, he  
actually finished it yesterday. He's just been sitting in there lately. Brooding, as usual."  
"Oh. So, where is this 'surprise' nursery?" Willow said.  
Dawn looked at her older sister with an expression that said 'Should we?' Buffy nodded.  
"I'll take you up. We can bring Connor with too." Buffy said. Willow nodded. The Slayer  
grabbed Connor and the three of them headed up the stairs.

Angel sat in a rocking chair in the nursery he had made for Willow. And Connor, of course. He  
rolled the red velvet box in his hands, thinking about what he was going to say. He didn't wanna be to  
sappy. Yet he didn't wanna be so insensitive about it either. He just really hoped she woke up soon.  
He heard a knock on the door and jumped in surprise.  
"Angel?" It was Buffy. She opened the door. Angel thought he saw someone else, but then Buffy  
was alone, except for Connor in her arms. "Guess who's awake."  
"Connor?" Angel said. Buffy walked up to him and he quickly put the ring box back in his pocket.  
He took his son from the Slayer and she went back toward the door.  
"No. Well, yeah. But who else can you think of who's been sleeping for like, forever?' Buffy  
said.  
"Willow?" Angel said hopefully.  
"Well duh! Now hurry up and get ready to show your girlfriend this beautiful nursery!" Buffy  
said.  
Angel put Connor in his crib and pulled the box out of his pocket.  
Willow waited outside the door while Buffy took Connor in the nursery. To be honest, she was a  
little nervous. A nursery decorated by a 200-and-some year old vampire who wore black all the time was  
just a little hard to picture.  
But she didn't have time to wait, because Buffy came back through the door saying Angel was  
ready for her.  
"Close your eyes." Buffy whispered. She felt Buffy put a blindfold around her eyes. Willow  
closed her eyes and took Buffy's hand. The Slayer led her into the room. Willow walked, trying to  
understand the room by feeling it. The floor felt soft and cushy beneath her bare feet. That feeling was  
new to her. Usually, the carpets in the hotel were hard and prickly. They walked for a while.  
"Whoa!" Willow heard Buffy cry out.  
"What? What's wrong?" Willow said frantically.  
"Nothing. You're just about to run into something." Buffy said.  
"Oh." Willow said. "Don't scare me like that. Angel?" She felt in the air for him.  
"I'm right here sweetie." She heard Angel say. A hand grabbed hers. Buffy let go of Willow's  
hand. Willow giggled as she felt Angel grab her by the hips.  
"I'm, ah, gonna go downstairs, give you two lovebirds some alone time." Buffy said. A few  
seconds later, Willow heard the door open and close.  
"Angel what- Mmmm." Willow was cut off by Angel's lips on hers. She smiled through the kiss.  
"Good morning baby." Angels aid. He kissed her nose. She opened her eyes, but all she saw was  
the blindfold. She tried to pull it off, but she felt Angel's hands on hers. "Not yet." He kissed her again.  
She put her arms around his neck.  
After a few minutes, she pulled away to catch her breath. "So, are you gonna show me this room or  
not?" She said.  
"Oh, yeah. I guess I just got caught up in your lips." Angel said. She giggled. "Let me get you in  
the perfect spot."

Angel led her over to the left back corner. He put her in front of him facing the room.  
"Now?" She said.  
"Not yet." Angel pulled the red velvet box out of his pocket. He knelt down and held up the box.  
"Okay. Now." He said.

Willow pulled off the blindfold and looked around the room. The entire room was a baby blue  
color. There were cribs and blankets and rocking chairs. Everything they would possible need plus a few  
extras.  
"Oh, Angel, it's perfect." She whispered. The crib was blue with blue bedding. The rocking chair  
was blue. Everything in that room was that same baby blue color. The walls were sky blue with wispy  
white clouds.. She turned to look at Angel. "I love it Ang-" She stopped, mid-sentence. "Oh my god."  
Angel was on one knee and was holding a box of some sort.  
"Willow Rosenberg, love of my undead life, mother of our son, will you marry me?" Angel said.  
Willow didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes. Yes Angel, I will."  
Someone clapped. Willow jerked her head. Glorificus the hell goddess stood about two feet away  
from them. Willow gasped.  
"Honey, take the baby and get out of here." Angel said. "NOW!"  
Willow nodded.  
Angel kept his eyes on Glory as his fiancé and his son left the room. When Willow and Connor  
were gone, he morphed into his vampire visage.  
"How dare you come into my son's nursery." Angel growled.  
"Yep. I do." Glory said. She picked up a teddy bear. "Cute." The hell goddess ripped the bear  
apart like it was a thin piece of paper. "Lucky for you, I'm just here to talk."  
"Yeah. Well I really don't." He lunged at her, but she just pushed him aside.  
"Like I said. Just wanna talk. If I wanted to fight, you'd be dust." Glory said.  
"Fine." Angel said.  
"So. You want me to leave your girlfriend alone?" Glory said.  
"My son too." Angel snarled.  
"Whatever." Glory said. "If you bring me the Key, I'll leave all of you alone."  
"No." Angel said. "Talking's done. I want you gone. Dawn is not going anywhere."  
"Fine. That's the way ya wanna play it." Glory said.  
There was a bang and the door blew off of its hinges. Buffy stepped through the door, Spike  
behind her.  
"Angel!" Buffy cried. Angel ignored her and kept his eyes on Glory.  
"I . . . want. . . you . . . gone!" Angel demanded. "Now."  
"Nah. I'm just a little restless. No worries though. A little violence should clear that up just  
fine." Glory said.  
"Are you two gonna stop talking?" Buffy said. "Or can we start the fighting?"  
"Gladly." Glory said. The fight began.

"I've just been sent word that Glorificus is ready for us. Let's go over the plan once more." Holtz  
said to his allies. His right-hand woman, Justine, stood next to him. "We are only there to collect the child.  
But you may harm the others. But don't kill them. They must live. Understood?"  
The people in front of him nodded. "All right. You all know what to do. Let's go."

Angel wiped blood out of his eyes. He, Spike, and Buffy had been fight Glory for over and hour.  
Angel's patience was wearing thin. He wanted this fight to be over and Glory dead so he could spend time  
with Willow and Connor.  
He looked over at Buffy. Or, rather down, seeing as the Slayer was unconscious on the floor.   
Spike was still fighting in the corner.  
The nursery was a mess. The crib was turned on its side. The blankets were torn up. The  
furniture was ruined and the lamps were broken.  
"Are you gonna do this forever, or are you actually gonna die?" Glory said   
"Oh shut it you bloody bint." Spike said. Glory punched him in the nose. "Bloody hell. Would  
you lay off the nose already?" All of a sudden started holding her head and shaking it from side to side.  
"No, no, no." Glory said. "This really isn't a good time, Ben." Glory hit her head with the palm of  
her hand over and over again. Glory morphed into Ben.  
"Who are you?" Ben said. Spike punched him.  
"That's for MY nose." Spike said.  
"What are you talking about?" Ben said. Angel had had enough of this. He walked up to Glory's  
alter ego and took the man's head in his own hands. With a flick of his wrists, and the snap of a spinal  
cord, Ben and Glory died, instantly. He dropped the body and stared at it for a minute.He heard Buffy stir and went over to her only to find that Spike was already there, holding the  
Slayer in his arms.  
He instantly thought of Willow and Connor and raced downstairs to the lobby. What he found was  
that the lobby was a mess, just like the nursery. Plaster and debris lay everywhere. He searched frantically  
for his fiancé and son. The first person he saw was Cordelia. She was being crushed by a large piece of  
plaster which was on her stomach and legs. She was unconscious. Angel knelt beside her and shook her  
shoulders.  
"Cordelia!" Angel shouted.  
"Angel?" Cordy said hoarsely, her eyes still closed. "Is that you?"  
"Yes. I want you to lie still while I get this off of your legs. Okay?" Angel said.  
"Yes, please." Angel stood up and pushed the plaster off her. Angel looked up and saw that she  
was unconscious again. But she was breathing. Which was a good thing.  
He moved on to keep looking for Willow and Connor. Instead, he found Dawn next. She didn't  
appear to be hurt too bad. She just got knocked out. Although, her arm was a mangled mess. He gently  
shook her shoulders. Her eyes opened wide.  
"Dawn, are you okay?" Angel asked.  
"I think so. But my arm, it hurts." Dawn said.  
"Can you tell me what happened?" Angel asked.  
"Ah," Dawn coughed. "That guy, Holtz. He was after Connor. We tried to stop them, but there  
were too many of them."  
"Where's Connor?" Angel urgently asked.  
"I - I . . . I don't know." Dawn stuttered.  
"Angel!" A faint cry came from somewhere in the lobby. Angel recognized the voice. It was  
Willow. "M-My head . . ."  
He followed the sound to behind the counter. Willow was lying on the ground, her beautiful red  
hair covering her face. She was on her side, with her arms down on the floor beside her.  
"I'm here." He whispered and took her hand in his own.  
"He's gone! They took him!" Willow wailed. "Angel, Connor's gone!"  
"We're gonna find him. I swear we will." Angel said. He started to get up to go find the others.  
"Angel, don't leave me!" Willow begged.  
"I have to find the others." Angel said. He looked over the counter where Dawn was sitting up on  
the floor, holding her arm. She was awake and alert. "Dawn!" He called. "Dawn! Can you come here?  
"Ah, yeah." Dawn said. The teenager's voice was shaky.  
"I need you to come over and stay with Willow while I find the others." Angel said. The teenager  
nodded and crawled her way over.  
Angel kissed Willow on the forehead before getting up to find the others. He found Fred under the  
desk in the office. Gunn was witch Xander and Anya on the far side, helping Xander put pressure on one  
of Anya's many cuts. Wesley was now awake and was attending to Cordelia. A few minutes later, Spike  
came down with Buffy in his arms. For a minute, Angel though the Slayer was dead, but he heard her  
heartbeat.  
"How is she?" Angel asked Spike.  
"She'll be okay. She was just havin' some trouble walkin', so I offered to carry her." Spike looked  
around the room. "What happened here?"  
We were attacked." Dawn said. "it was Holtz and is guys. They attacked us. And they took  
Connor."

"Okay." Holtz said to the vampire and the witch's spawn. "I will be you father." He pointed atJustine. "And this woman will be your mother." The baby gurgled. "And your name is Stephen."

Lilah Morgan walked into her office at Wolfram & Hart. She had just been at a meeting. She  
thought she felt someone behind her.  
She looked across the room into the mirror. No one was there. She continued walking and sat  
down in her desk. She turned around and saw . . . Angel.  
"What do you want?" She said coldly.  
"Hello Lilah, I was having a good day, a great day actually. Until a certain hell goddess shows up  
and ruins it. That was only minor. She's dead. No. The worst part of the day was when I came  
downstairs to find that my lobby's a mess. Then, to top it off, I found out that my son's been kidnaped.  
Now you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"  
"Haven't the slightest idea." Lilah said.  
"Somehow, I'm just having the hardest believing that." Angel said.  
"Oh. I wanted too. I wanted to snatch that little brat of yours and find out what makes him tick.   
But, unfortunately, the Senior Partners have other ideas." Lilah sneered.  
"Then how do you explain the absence of my son?" Angel snarled.  
"That I don't know. But I do know that we had nothing to do with it." Lilah said. Yet, she thought.

Angel raced down the street, following his son's scent. He was so angry. His son was missing.  
His fiancé was in the hospital. Again. As were Buffy, Cordelia, Dawn, and Anya. Everyone else was fine.  
He sniffed the air and turned left.  
He finally arrived in the place he thought Connor was. It was an empty dirt field. Holtz stood next  
to a silver SUV with a woman Angel didn't know. But . . .  
A few feet away from Holtz was Lilah, with her Wolfram & Hart operatives in tow. Angel  
stopped the car and jumped out. Angel marched right toward Holtz. He watched Lilah the whole time.  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Holtz said. Angel snapped his attention to Holtz. Holtz had  
both of his hands at the ready to snap Connor's neck.  
A low guttural growl erupted from Angel's throat. He got ready to lunge at Holtz.  
"I suggest that you don't do that. Or I will snap his neck before you even reach me." Holtz said.  
"Angel!" Lilah shouted. "Give Connor to us. Unless you want us to riddle him with bullets."  
Angel looked back and forth, trying to decide what to do.  
"If you left me keep him, he'll live. I'll raise him as my own." Holtz said. Angel struggled with  
this for many, many minutes.  
"So. What will it be?" Holtz said. Angel looked back and forth, from Lilah to Holtz. Holtz, with  
is hands still around Connor's neck. And Lilah's operatives. with their guns and stakes.  
"T-take him." Angel pleaded. "J-just don't hurt him. He's only a baby."  
"NO!" Lilah shouted.  
A demon in long brown robes appeared a few feet from Holtz"  
"Did I miss the show?" The demon said. It looked around. "Huh. Guess not. Cool. Let's get  
down to business." The demon began to chant in a language Angel recognized as ancient French. Behind  
the demon, a white light in the shape of a line appeared. It grew out larger and larger until it was wider  
than Angel's field of view.  
"If that kid doesn't die in the next few seconds, this rift will swallow the entire planet." The demon  
said.  
In the next few seconds, everything happened faster than Angel could remember or comprehendthem. Holtz ran after the rift. Lilah's gunmen fired, missing Holtz by a mile. Holtz ran through the rift,  
disappearing, with Connor with him.  
"No!" The demon shouted. "He wasn't supposed to do that!"  
"Let's get out of here." Lilah said.  
Angel fell to his knees, staring at where the rift had been in disbelief.

Willow awoke to find that her throat hurt. She opened her eyes and saw that something was  
coming out of her mouth. She couldn't remember what it was. She knew she should, but she couldn't.  
And thinking made her head hurt. She tried to lift her arm, but found she was too weak. The arm felt as  
though it was a lead weight. The same with her legs. She tried crying out, but the thing inside her mouth  
prevented her from doing so.  
So after awhile of trying to talk or move without success, she started to cry. The tears ran off of  
her face and down into the bed. She cried because she didn't know where she was or why. Or who she  
should be with and where. All she knew was her name.  
A sound of a door opening filled the place she was in. She heard someone walking. Then there  
was a face right above her own. A woman. With light brown hair and blue eyes. Her skin was tan, as if  
she'd just gotten home from the beach.  
But Willow didn't know who this woman was, or why she was there, so she started flailing and  
freaking out.  
"It's okay." The woman said gently. "My name is Lily. I'm going to take the tube out of your  
mouth now, okay?" Willow stopped flailing and nodded cautiously. "I want you to take a deep breath for  
me. On the could of three." Lily said. "1. 2. 3. Deep breath." Willow inhaled as the tube was taken out.  
She coughed and gagged. "Wh-"  
"Ssshh." Lily. "Let your voice rest before you try speaking." Willow nodded. "When you're feeling  
better, there's someone who's been waiting for you to wake up."  
"Pen." Willow mouthed. She couldn't life her arms, but she could move her fingers. So she set up  
her fingers like she was holding a pen.  
"Pen?" Lily repeated. Willow nodded. Lily pulled a pen out of her shirt pocket and flipped opened  
to an empty page on the chart. She gave them to Willow.  
Willow took the pen and wrote the word 'now' on the pad. Lily looked at her.  
"Are you sure you wanna see him now?"  
Willow nodded.  
"Okay." Lily said. "I'll be right outside if you need me." Lily left the room. Willow tried  
desperately to think of a "him" that would come visit her, but all she came up with was blanks. All of a  
sudden she just started to cry. She couldn't explain it. She didn't want to. It's almost as if something in  
her had been triggered.  
"Willow, please don't cry." She turned her head toward the door. A handsome man with almost  
black spiked-hair and a black duster walked in. Willow couldn't remember who he was. And she started  
to cry even more. "Please don't cry."  
The man came up to her and sat on the bed. He took her hand, but she shrugged him away.  
Her voice came back , just a little, and she rasped, "Who are you?"  
Then he took her in his arms and she instantly remembered. This man, her man, was Angel. Justby his touch, she remembered everything. Then one word, one name, flashed in her brain. CONNOR . . .  
"Willow, there's, ah, something I need to tell you." Angel said. Before Willow had a chance to say  
anything, Angel cut her off. "It's about Connor. He's ah, uh. The thing is, our son, he's . . . gone.  
Forever."  
To Be Continued . . . . Again . . . .


	3. Reunion

**Parenthood**

Summary: Willow shows up in Angel's room instead of Darla. A month and a half later . . . The next chapter should be coming soon.

**Chapter 3: Reunion**

"Willow, honey, you have to get out of this bed. It's been two months." Angel said to his fiancé. He pulled the blanket off her, but she pulled it back on herself.  
Willow Rosenberg shook her head under the covers, her scarlet locks messy and tousled. "No!"  
"You can't stay in this bedroom forever." Angel reasoned.  
"Yes, I can." Willow sniffled. "And I will." Angel pulled the covers off of her again, this time throwing it across the room. She whined in protest. "Angel!"  
"No. You're gonna get dressed and get out into the real world." Angel said. "Besides, I told Buffy and Cordelia that you'd go shopping with them today."  
"No-o!" Willow whined. "I can't. It's too soon!"  
"You'll be fine." Angel assured her. He sat down on the bed next to her and held her in his arms. She snuggled into his embrace. "It's been so hard on you for a while now. And you've been so brave. I'm very proud of you." He kissed her forehead. When he looked at her face, he saw that she was sleeping.  
Gently he slid her out of his arms and laid her on the bed. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before putting his shirt on and going downstairs.  
In the lobby, he found Buffy having breakfast.  
"How's she feeling?" Buffy asked.  
"Usual." Angel answered. "She's asleep right now."  
"Angel, listen. Dawn and I have to get back to Sunnydale." Buffy said.  
"Okay-" Angel said.  
"It's just, Dawn's been out of school for awhile, and she needs to get back to a normal routine. And with Glory gone, we're free."  
"I understand." Angel said. All they'd really done the past two months was re-clean the hotel and sit around. Cordy hadn't even had a vision.  
"You do?" Buffy said.  
"Yeah. We aren't really doing anything here anyway. And I think you should take Willow with you, just for awhile." Angel said.  
"Are you sure?" Buffy said.  
"Yeah." Angel said. "She needs to get out of Los Angeles for awhile. Go back to classes, get back to normal."  
"You're probably right." Buffy said. "But I think Dawn and I will go back first and get Tara's things out of the house. We'll take it to Xander's for now. When we're finished, she can come with Xander and Anya."  
"Good." Angel said. "Now, we just have to convince Willow to get out of bed."

Willow walked over to the crib, quietly as to not wake him. She peered over the railing at the sleeping baby. Connor's fist was firmly planted inside of his mouth, and he seemed perfectly content on it. Willow giggled at how adorable he looked. She slowly picked him up and held him in the crook of her arm. She rocked him a little, hummed a lullaby, and all the while just stared at him. A stray piece of hair fell in her face and she moved it out the way, temporarily not focusing on her son.  
When she looked back, Connor was gone. "Noooooooo!" She screamed. "Connor!"

Dawn shot out of bed. She had awoken when she heard someone scream. After a few seconds, she realized it had been Willow. She raced to Willow and Angel's bedroom. She knocked on the door, pounding on it with her fists.  
"Willow! Willow are you okay!" Dawn shouted. The only answer she got was a bloodcurdling shriek. The kind like on tv when a girl screams and one of those 'cliched' screams echos and you know it was a computer. Except Dawn was pretty sure this one was real.  
She pushed on the door with all her strength, but it didn't budge. She tried again, but no such luck.  
"Come on, monks." Dawn muttered, "Show me some of that Key power."  
She tried again, and . . . failure. Finally on the seventh try the door burst open. Her eyes searched the room, looking for some kind of struggle.  
She glanced at the bed and saw that Willow was thrashing and flailing and screaming.  
The teenager ran toward the bed, straight to the red head's side.  
"Willow, what's wrong?" Dawn whispered. Willow was still asleep. Dawn shoot the redhead's shoulder. "Willow wake up!"  
"No, no, no . . ." Willow said over and over. "Angel!"  
"Willow, wake up!" Dawn said again. The redhead kept mumbling. Dawn went right into Willow's ears and shouted, "WAKE UP!" Willow jerked and sat up.  
"What's wrong?" Willow said. "What's going on? What's happening? Where's Connor?"  
"Sssshhhh." Dawn said. "You were having a nightmare."  
"Where's Connor? Where's my son?" Willow said.  
"Don't you remember?" Dawn said. "Connor's gone. He was kidnaped two months ago."  
"No. That's not true, it's a lie. Stop lying!" Willow shouted.  
"I'm not!" Dawn said.  
"B-but . . ." Willow burst out crying and fell on Dawn's shoulder.  
"Sshhh. It's okay." Dawn whispered.  
"Where's Angel?" Willow sniffled.  
"Do you want me to get him?" Dawn asked. Willow nodded.

The next night Angel crept out of the hotel and headed for someone he knew who could help him.

Lilah sat at her desk, waiting for her next client to arrive. It was late, almost one in the morning, but those were her usual hours.  
She was about to call the main desk and see if her client had arrived, but a man appeared in front of her. She knew who it was.  
"Took you long enough." Lilah said.  
"Yeah, well, I was a little busy." Angel said.  
"What do you want?" Lilah said coldly.  
"Information." Angel said. "Two months ago you were at the same abandoned field where my son was kidnaped. What I want to know is, why? Why were you and your operatives there?"  
"Linwood. He sent us out to collect the kid." Lilah replied.  
"Where. Where can I find him?" Angel said anxiously.  
"His office is on the fourth floor, room 426." Lilah told him. "Now, tell me, what do I get for telling you this?"  
"You get to live." Angel said. She blinked, and then Angel was gone.  
She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed the right number.  
"Security." Lilah said into the phone. "There is someone, a vampire, going to attack Linwood. I need security to his office right now."

"Okay, Wil." Xander Harris called into the hotel. "Time to go." He packed in the last of his, Anya's, and Willow's luggage into the van. Anya, his fiance, was already seated in the front passenger seat. Willow, however, was still in the hotel's lobby with Angel. Buffy, Spike, Giles, and Dawn were already in Sunnydale, clearing Tara's things from the Summers' home. Cordelia, Wesley, Fred, and Gunn were outside with Xander.  
"She'll be right there!" Angel called from inside the hotel. Someone shouted and Xander was pretty sure it was Willow. He couldn't really understand what she had said, but he caught the gist of it.  
"No!" Willow shouted. " . . . will not . . . go . . . leave . . . here . . ." Was all Xander really understood. There was a pause, probably Angel saying something, Xander thought. Willow shouted again. This time Xander heart it loud and clear. "I WON'T LEAVE UNTIL CONNOR IS HOME!"  
Everyone who was outside kind of stared at nothing in particular as if they felt very awkward by Willow's words.  
Anya, as if she didn't hear any of this at all, said, "XAnder, can we go now?"  
"In a minute, Ahn." Xander said.  
A few seconds later Angel came out, carrying a kicking and screaming Willow over his shoulder.  
"No!" Willow protested, trying to get free of Angel' s embrace.  
Come on, Willow!" Xander said. "We're gonna have us a load of fun at home."  
Willow stared at him as if he had just told her to jump off of Mt. Everest. "I am home!" Willow shouted.  
Willow, honey, be nice." Angel said.  
Angel, with Willow still in his arms, went over to the van and set her in the back seat. She pouted and crossed her arms. Angel gave her a kiss on the lips and shut the door.  
"Now can we go?" Anya whined.  
"Yes." Xander said. "All aboard, because the train is leaving."

"Dawn!" Buffy called up the stairs to her sister. "They're here!"  
"Coming!" Dawn shouted back. "I just have one thing to do quick."  
The doorbell rang and Buffy opened the door. It was Xander, Anya, and Willow.  
Buffy hugged Willow, but the redhead didn't retaliate. Buffy just figured she was tired.  
"Welcome ho--" She looked up and saw that Xander was signaling for her to stop. "Welcome back." She said instead.  
Willow just kind of stared into space. There was dark circles under eyes. Her hair wasn't the same shiny red it had once been. In fact, Willow looked horrible.  
"Well, Ahn and I should get going. It's late." Xander said. They turned to leave. About halfway down the path, Xander turned back to look at Buffy. "We'll call in the morning, see how you all are doing."  
"Thanks." Buffy said. She led Willow inside to the couch in the living room. "Do you want anything?"  
Willow shook her head.  
"If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen." Buffy said. She quietly tip-toed into the kitchen and started the dishes. They hadn't been done in a while, and Dawn refused to do them, so Buffy just did them.  
She knew Dawn would be coming down with the present she had made for Willow. Buffy didn't even know what it was, but she was sure it was something nice.  
As if on cue, Buffy heard Dawn run down the stairs.  
"I've got it!" Dawn shouted.  
"I'll be in there in a second!" Buffy shouted.  
"Hurry up!" Dawn shouted back. Buffy turned off the faucet and dried her hands off. She went into the living room to find that Dawn was sitting next to Willow, and Willow was kind of back away from Dawn.  
"I'm here." Buffy said.  
"Good!" Dawn said excitedly. Buffy sat down across from her sister and her best friend. Dawn handed the gift to Willow. The redheaded Wicca took it somewhat reluctantly and held it in her lap.  
"Well, open it!" Buffy said.  
Slowly, Willow peeled back the paper. After a few minutes, it was finally opened.  
"What is it?" Buffy asked.  
Suddenly, Willow just immediately started weeping out of nowhere.  
"What's wrong?" Dawn said nervously. "Don't you like it?"  
Buffy took the present from Willow's hand. It was a scrapbook. On the front cover were pictures of two people. One was of Tara, and the other was of . . . Connor. Decorating the front cover and edges gold and blue stars and symbols Buffy guessed to be Wiccan symbols., baby pacifiers, and pieces of Connor's mobile. Buffy flipped through the pages and saw various pictures of Tara with Willow and the rest of the gang, and also of Connor. Which amazed Buffy because she didn't know there had been any pictures of Connor that had been taken. There was a picture of Connor in his crib. Of Connor with Angel holding him, and of Willow and Connor. On the last page was a picture of Angel, Willow, and Connor, all asleep on Willow and Angel's bed. And on the back cover was a picture of Tara. A rainbow framed the edges of the back cover, as well as clouds and beautiful angels.  
Buffy looked at Dawn. "It's beautiful!" She said. "When did you do all of this?"  
"While I was watching Connor before Willow woke up. I had a camera with me. I didn't plan on bringing it, but it had just been in my bag."  
Willow was still crying, and Buffy couldn't understand why.  
"What's wrong Willow?" Buffy asked again.  
"Nothing." Willow sobbed. "Nothing it wrong with it. It's wonderful. I just miss them so much." Buffy pulled her friend into a hug.  
"Of course you do." Buffy said. Willow sobbed into Buffy's shoulder.  
"I miss them too." Dawn said, and Buffy knew her sister wasn't just talking about Tara and Connor. Dawn was talking about their mother.

In Los Angeles, Angel was sitting in Lilah's office, waiting for her to come through the door. Lilah didn't know he was there, but she would soon find out.  
As if on cue, the door opened and Lilah Morgan stepped through the threshold.  
"Hello Lilah. Remember that conversation we had, just last week?" Angel said. He walked over to her desk chair and turned it around so Lilah could see the person tied to it. It was Linwood.  
"I see you got rid of security." Lilah said smugly.  
"What security?" Angel said innocently.  
"Fair enough." Lilah said. "So, what do you want?"  
"Your boss here," Angel said, indicating Linwood, "Won't tell we what I need to know. But, what he has said, is that you know a way to fix this."  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lilah said.  
"Come on, Lilah. There's no need to keep any secrets." Angel said.  
"I don't know anything." Lilah said.  
Through the bonds on his mouth, Linwood mumbled, "Tell him!" Lilah seemed to understand because she shook her head no. "Tell him!"   
"Lilah, Lilah, Lilah. I know you to tell me." Angel said.  
"Fine!" Lilah shouted, exasperated. "There's a ritual, a dark one. But, we'll have to do it at your hotel."  
"That's all wanted." Angel said. "Was that so hard?"

Now at the hotel, Angel did everything Lilah said would be needed. He painted the pentagram on the lobby floor with red paint. He got Lilah a knife. Now, he stood aside watching Lilah perform the ritual.She cut her palm and let the blood drip into the middle of pentagram. She chanted in Latin, but Angel wasn't paying attention to the words.  
Angel watched in anticipation as Lilah's blood puddled on the lobby floor. He looked up at the ceiling as mystical lightning flashed and imaginary thunder sounded.  
But that's all that happened. After a few seconds the lightning and thunder stopped. Lilah stopped chanting. The hotel was silent.  
"Why isn't anything happening?" Angel snapped. "Where's my son?"  
"I don't know. That spell should have worked." Lilah said.  
"Do it again!" Angel shouted.  
"I can't." Lilah said. "Once it starts, it can't be done again."

One month later  
"Angel, when are you going to tell us why there's a huge star, sorry, pentagram, in the middle of the lobby floor?" Cordelia said.  
She crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the floor.  
"I already did." Angel said without stopping picking up the debris from Connor's old room.  
"Yeah. You told us that you tried to get Connor back and it didn't work. What you didn't give us was specifics. What exactly did you do?" Cordelia said.  
"It doesn't matter." Angel said. "It didn't work. Connor's still gone. Willow's still in Sunnydale. Nothing's changed."  
"You're changed." Cordelia said softly. "What happened?"  
"I don't want to talk about it!" Angel snapped. Cordy jumped.  
"Come on, Angel. You now that line doesn't work with me. You know that I won't give up until you tell me." Cordelia said.  
"Where's everyone else?" Angel said abruptly.  
"They went out to eat and do not change the subject." Cordelia said.  
We should be downstairs, working on a case!" Angel said.  
"Angel, we don't have any cases. We haven't had any for over a month."  
"What about walk-ins?" Angel said. He put down the scorched and ripped stuffed bear down and went out the door.  
"Angel!" Cordelia shouted. He didn't answer. She groaned in frustration and laid back on the bed.

When Angel got downstairs, there was a teenage boy standing the middle of the room, his back facing Angel.  
"Can I help you?" Angel said.  
The teen turned around and look at Angel, but he didn't say anything.  
"Can I help you with something?" Angel repeated.  
"We have to go." The teen said matter-of-factly and walked toward the door.  
"Is it the pentagram? 'Cause that's an old case. Don't be scared by it!" Angel shouted.  
The teen didn't stop, just kept going.  
"Okay then." Angel said. The door slammed shut as Cordelia came down the stairs.  
"Who was that?" She said.  
"I don't know." Angel said. "I think the pentagram scared him off. Could we get rid of it?"  
"Sure." Cordelia said.

Five minutes earlier.  
Jack Miller walked in the doors of the place called the Hyperion Hotel. He had a problem, a . . . supernatural . . . problem. Or, that's what he thought it was. His fiancé, Katie had been dead for a week and a half, but his sister said she'd seen Katie just the other night in an alley. His sister gave him a business card with the number for a detective agency called Angel Investigations on it. So, here he was.  
"Hello!" Jack called out. "Is there anyone here?"  
There was no answer, so Jack stepped further into the room.  
Hello!" He called out again. Again, no answer. "Okay then, I'm just gonna go." he turned around and was about to leave when something crawled into his mouth and nose.

Jack Miller was no longer in control.

"Can I help you?"  
Jack's body turned around. It just stared at the man who had asked the question.  
"Can I help you with something?" The man said again.  
"We have to go." The thing controlling Jack said.  
It went across the street to the smoothie shop.

Sunnydale, California  
The phone on Willow's side table ran and she picked it up.  
"Hello?" She said dispassionately.  
"Hi honey." Angel said. "How are you?"  
"Fine." Willow said flatly.  
"That's, uh, really good, sweetie. Things here at the hotel are fine too. So, how are your classes? The last time Buffy called, she said you'd started them again." Angel said.  
"Yeah. Classes are . . . fine." Willow said.  
"Good. I was thinking I'd come down this weekend and visit you." Angel said.  
"Whatever." Willow said.  
"Honey, do you feel okay? Are you sick?" Angel asked, concerned.  
"No, I'm not sick. Listen, Angel, I've gotta go." Willow said.  
"Wait! Do you want me to come down this weekend? 'Cause if you don't want me too, I won't." Angel said.  
Willow sighed. "It's up to you."  
"I love--" Willow cut him off by slamming the phone back on the receiver.

Los Angeles, California.  
" . . . you." Angel said. He sighed and put the phone down. Something was wrong with his fiancé, and it was killing him.  
He got up from the desk and went out into the lobby. Fred and Gunn were sitting on the couch. Fred was reading a book and Gunn was cleaning the weapons.  
Fred looked up from her book and smiled. "How was your phone call with Willow?"  
"Yeah, man. How's Red?" Gunn said.  
"I'm not sure. She still seems so . . . sad. And angry." Angel said.  
"She'll come around. She just needs some time to--"  
"Sorry Freddles, but I think we may have more pressing issues." Lorne said as he came in.  
"What's wrong?" Angel said.  
"Guy across the street. Has you guys written all over his thirsty forehead." Lorne said.  
"What's wrong with him?" Fred said."Follow me and see." Lorne said, walking back outside.

"We're thirsty." The body that had once been Jack Miller said. He held up the empty cup and gestured toward the clerk.  
"We're out of smoothies!" The manager said.  
"Man, you haven't peed in hours!" The clerk said.  
The thing that had been Jack Miller pulled cash out of Jack's wallet and threw it on the table.  
"Water then!" It urged.

Angel and his friends: Fred, Gunn, Cordy, Lorne, and Wesley, walked in the door of the smoothie shop.  
The only people in the shop were a clerk in a red uniform, a man, and another guy in a gray suit.  
"More!" The man shouted. The clerk jumped. "We're thirsty."  
"Here!" The clerk said, giving the man a glass of water.  
"What seems to be the problem?" Angel asked.  
"This guy's a freak!" The clerk said.  
"Get out of here, both of you." Angel said to the clerk and the guy in the suit. They just stared at him. "Now!"  
The two nodded earnestly and left the building.  
Angel took the man's wallet off the counter.  
"Alright, Mr. Miller." Angel said. The guy turned around. "Hey, I know you!"  
"How?" Cordelia said.  
"He was the guy who came to the hotel this morning. Never did say what he wanted." Angel said.  
"What's wrong with his face?" Fred said. Jack's face was dry and cracked.  
"I don't know, but let's get him back to the hotel and figure it out there." Gunn said.

When they reached the hotel, they put the now unconscious Jack Miller on the couch in the lobby.  
"Fred," Wesley said. "You and I will begin research. Cordelia, you look on the computer. Gunn, Angel, you two see if there is anything on his person that might help us identify what is happening to him." They were standing about two feet away from Jack, near the counter.  
Angel turned around and saw Jack standing on the floor.  
"It was you! You have caused us great pain." Jack said. He walked forward, but collapsed into a pile of dust.  
"What the--" Cordy said.  
All of a sudden, a small, transparent, slug-like creature crawled out from Jack's clothing and slithered on the floor. A threw the sword he had been holding at it, but the creature dodged it.  
"What is it?" Gunn said. Everyone shrugged, even Wesley.  
It crawled beneath the counter and out of sight.  
"Is everyone alright?" Angel said. They all nodded.  
"Ah, Angel," Cordelia said. "Look." She pointed at what remained of Jack Miller. Angel did. The dust was directly in the middle of the pentagram.  
"Everyone, grab something sharp and spread out in the hotel.. Find it, then kill it." Angel said. "Fred, Wesley, I want you two to research this. Cordelia, grab some flashlights."  
"Flashlights?" Cordelia said.  
"It's easier to see the slugs in the dark." Angel said.  
"Oh." Cordelia said.  
Two hours later, they found that the slug had multiplied and now there was a whole bunch of them underneath the hotel, in the sewers. They learned that the slugs craved water, and that they didn't like fire.

In the office, Wesley and Fred were in research mode. By the light of a single lantern, the read countless books about different reasons the slugs had appeared and what they were.  
Fred found something about something called 'thaumogenesis.' But before she could tell Wesley, something crawled up her mouth and nose.

Winifred Burkle was now controlled by the slug.

It, using Fred's body, leaned on the desk and held it's head. It panted.  
Wesley turned around from facing the office door to look at Fred.  
"What's the matter, Fred?" Wesley asked.  
"We're thirsty." She/It said.  
"Fred?" Wesley said.  
"We're thirsty!" She/It shouted.  
"Dear God." Wesley said.

Angel, I can't see anything! Where are they?" Cordelia yelled over the noise of all the slugs.  
"They're everywhere!" Gunn shouted. They backed into the kitchen and shut all the doors.  
"We're trapped!" Lorne shouted.  
All of a sudden, the doors behind them burst open. They all turned around.  
Wesley stood in the door, Fred at his side, heavily chugging a bottle of water.  
"No man!" Gunn said. "Not my girl!" He went over to them and pulled Fred into his embrace.  
"She's been infected." Wesley said, stating the obvious.  
"What're we gonna do?" Cordelia said.  
"We've gotta get Fred to a hospital." Gunn said.  
"No." Angel said. "No one is going in or out of this hotel. I can't risk the innocent lives who will die because these things spread out over the city."  
"But you'll risk Fred's?" Gunn threw back.  
"Listen, Gunn, if we leave the hotel and take Fred with us, these things will infect others. Would you risk thousands of lives just for Fred? She wouldn't want that." Angel said.  
"No, she would not." Wesley said.  
"And neither would you if you were in her position." Cordelia said.  
"But, how are we gonna save her?" Gunn said.  
"I'm not sure." Wesley said. "We don't even know what these creatures are."  
"I know a way to find out." Angel said.  
"What?" They all said.  
Angel went up the ovens and turned them on, as well as the heaters. Fred started screaming bloody murder and Angel went up to her and took hold of her shoulders.  
"Fred! Fred, can you hear me?" Angel said.  
"The pain! The heat! It burns us!" Fred/It moaned.  
Angel took the water bottle away and Fred shrieked.  
"No!" Fred/It shouted.  
"What are you? Why are you here?" Angel demanded.  
"We're thirsty! The flames, they scorch us!" Fred/It screamed."ANSWER ME!" Angel commanded.  
"We're here, because of . . . because of you! The Destroyer is coming for us!" Fred/It said and looked up at Angel. "It really doesn't like you."  
"That doesn't sound good." Cordelia said.  
"What do you want?!" Angel snapped, his eyes fixed on Fred.  
"To live," Fred/It said raspily. "To live, to drink . . . and be merry!" It laughed in the most evil voice Angel had ever heard.  
"Fred! I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. Fight it! Don't let it win. You're strong." Angel said.  
Gunn took her in his arms. "Come on, baby. Fight it. You can do it. I know you can."  
"Charles!" She/It said.  
"Yes, Fred, keep fighting." Gunn said.  
"I've found it!" Wesley said from behind them.  
"What?" Angel and Gunn said at the same time.  
"What's happening." Wesley said. "It's called taumogenesis."  
"Taumo-what?" Gunn said.  
"Taumogenesis. It happens when such a dark spell as the one Angel performed occurs." Wesley said.  
"So, what is it?" Cordelia said.  
"It's like a . . . price. Angel did the ritual to get Connor back, and because of it, there were consequences." Wesley explained.  
"The Destroyer?" Cordelia said.  
"Precisely." Wesley said.  
"How do we fix Fred?" Gunn said.  
"Alcohol." Wesley said.  
"Yeah, I could use a sea breeze right about now." Lorne said. Cordelia punched him on the shoulder. "What?"  
"Not for drinking." Wesley said. "For dehydration."  
"Huh?" Cordelia said.  
"The creatures must have water for survival in the host. If we dehydrate Fred, the creature can not survive inside of her." Wesley said.  
"So, let's get some." Gunn said.  
"Yeah." Angel said.  
"Then let's get out of here. This place creeps me out." Cordelia said.  
"Diddo on that, sweetcheeks." Lorne said.  
When they got downstairs, Gunn, who had been carrying Fred, set her on the stairs. Wesley went to the fridge under the counter and pulled out a bottle of vodka. He handed it to Gunn. Angel held Fred up while Gunn opened the bottle.  
"Come on, baby." Gunn said as he poured the drink down Fred's throat. The slug inside of her grabbed a hold of the bottle and lustily began chugging it down. "That's it, baby. Drink up."  
After a few moments, Fred/It spit out the alcohol and dropped the bottle. She leaned forward and started to retch. The slug crawled out, leaving Fred to slump in Angel's arms. Gunn grabbed a dagger from on top of the counter and threw it at the slug, causing the slug to stop moving. He took Fred from Angel and laid her on the couch.  
"She'll have one hell of a hangover when she wakes up." Lorne said.  
"What was it talking about?" Cordelia said.  
"The Destroyer?" Wesley said.  
Fred suddenly shot up, her eyes wide open. "The Destroyer! I remember him!""What is it?" Angel asked.  
"Oh! It's horrible! It, oh, it really doesn't like you." Fred said, pointing to Angel.  
"Me?" Angel said. Fred nodded.  
"When is the Destroyer arriving?" Wesley said.  
Fred looked up at Angel in horror. "Now."  
Mystical energy cracked and a bright light filled the room. They all turned around and looked at the pentagram. From out of nowhere, a large and hideously ugly monster fell from a mystical crack. Angel and crew just stared at it in disbelief.  
Two seconds later, a teenage boy dressed in animal skins and leaves jumped out from where the monster appeared.  
The teenager turned to the demon and struck it with his armored wrist. The demon fell to the floor and stopped moving.  
The boy faced Angel, pointing his weapon at him and said, "Hi Dad."

Sunnydale, California.  
Buffy watched from the dining room as her best friend knelt on the couch, looking out the window.  
"Have you every heard the expression 'A watch fiancé never comes'?" Buffy said, trying to lighten up the mood.  
Willow didn't say anything, just stared out the window.

Los Angeles, California  
"Connor?" Angel said. The teenager stood in front of him, a stake-gun aimed at Angel. But Angel didn't notice the stake. He just stared in fascination at the boy in front of him.  
"My name . . ." The teenager snapped. He pulled the trigger on the spring-loaded stake-gun and a stake flew at Angel. But again, Angel didn't notice. The stake missed his heart, but went into his shoulder. ". . . is Stephen."  
Angel fell to his knees, his face wide with pain. The boy ran passed Angel and the others and went out the door. Cordelia knelt at Angel side and held him in her arms. She looked at Wesley and Gunn.  
"Go!" She said. "Find him!"  
They nodded and ran out the door. Cordelia looked at Lorne. "Call Willow. Tell her to get her butt down her. Fred, help me with Angel."  
Fred and Lorne nodded and went to their respective tasks. Cordelia pulled the wooden stake out of Angel's shoulder and he grunted in pain.  
"Sorry Angel." Cordy said.  
Fred came over with the First Aid kit and pulled out a gauze pad. Cordy took it from her and pushed on the hole in Angel's shoulder.  
"Aaahhh!" Angel shouted.  
"Ah, Cordy?" Lorne said, "What should I tell Willow?"  
"Just tell her that Angel got hurt, nothing else. Not until we know more about what's going on." Cordelia said.  
"Got'tcha." Lorne said. Fred poured an anti-infectant on the would. Angel winced. "No, sweetcheeks, he's fine." Cordelia heard Lorne said. "Just a little scratch." Fred taped a piece of gauze onto Angel's shoulder.  
"Are you gonna be okay?" Cordelia said.  
"Fine." Angel said. "Let me up. I need to find my son."  
"No, Cordelia said. "Gunn and Wesley are doing that. You need to rest."  
"Cordelia, I'm fine. Now move!" Angel snapped. He got up and started to walk toward the door.  
"Angel!" Cordy called after him. The door slammed, leaving Fred, Lorne, and Cordelia alone."Okay then, we'll see you in a few hours, rose blossom. Bye, bye then." Lorne said and set the phone down.  
"Is she coming?" Fred said.  
"Yeah." Lorne said.  
"Alone?" Cordelia said.  
"Double yeah." Lorne said. "Dawnie has school, so Buffy can't. And Xander and Anya have to work. Giles is in London again. So, yeah, it's just gonna be Willow."  
"She's driving by herself?" Cordelia said.

6 hours later  
Stephen ran through the strange place. He didn't know why he was here. Everything was different from the place he had grown up in with his father, even the smell. But his father had told him of a place, a place where his real father was. So just by what his father had told him, he knew he was where his real father was, in Los Angeles.  
Around him were just open fields and trees. None of what his father called 'trees.' There was a long, gray strip of hard rock going down the grass. And one red metallic thing was coming towards him.  
He stood in front of the metallic thing and stopped. The thing came to a screeching halt about two inches in front of him. It opened on the right side and a woman appeared and came to stand right in front of him. She had long red hair and green eyes. She looked very familiar to Stephen.  
"Excuse me, but could you move out of the way? I'm kind of in a hurry--"  
Stephen shot out his hand and grabbed the woman's throat, literally choking her.  
Her smiling face turned to panic, and in desperation she clawed at his hands with her own. She didn't succeed because he was much stronger than she was.

Angel was in the sewers, trying to find his son, when a whiff in the air caught his attention. It was of strawberries and fear.  
"Willow!" He said. Willow was in the city limits, and she was in danger. He quickly raced out of the sewer and followed his beloved's scent.  
The scent led him to a back road that lead out of Los Angeles and southward. He saw two figures in the middle of the highway, a teenager and a woman.  
"Willow . . ." He whispered. When he reached the two figures, he pulled the teen away from Willow.  
She fell to the ground, holding her throat with both her hands and was coughing. Angel looked at the face of Willow's attacker. It was . . . Connor.  
"Stay away from me!" Connor said.  
"Connor . . . what are you doing?" Angel said. Willow looked up in disbelief.  
"Stop calling me that! My name is Stephen!" Connor said.  
"A-Angel, what's going on?" Willow said raspily. Angel helped her up and pulled her into his embrace.  
"Who's that?" Connor said.  
Angel kissed Willow on the top of the head and said, "She's your mother."  
"No." Connor said. "My mother's dead. My father said she died in childbirth."  
"Your father?" Angel said.  
"Yeah, that's right. His name is Daniel Holtz. My name is Stephen Williams Holtz." Connor said.  
"No." Willow said firmly. "Your name is Connor Alexander Rosenberg. I named you myself."  
"Listen, lady. I don't know who you are, but you're not my mother."  
"Yes . . . Connor . . . she is. And I'm your father. We're your parents." Angel said.  
"You're lying!" Connor said."Is he really--" Willow stammered.  
"Yes, it's him. It's our son." Angel said.  
"No!" Connor shouted.  
"Connor?" Willow said. She reached out and pulled him into a hug. She cried on his shoulder. He pushed her away.  
"Get away from me!" Connor said.  
He ran off, leaving his mother crying in his father's arms.

Stephen ran as far away from those . . . those people as he could. When he was convinced he was far enough away from them, he stopped. He looked around and saw red brick buildings and dirty stone.  
There were colored marks in the forms of pictures and words all over the buildings. He saw another of those metallic things. Only this one was white. It was open on the side and a man was standing looking into it. A woman was inside of the metallic thing.  
The man was yelling, the woman was crying. So Stephen went over to them and pulled the guy away from the girl.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The man said.  
Stephen stood back, not understanding why the man had reacted that way. Stephen pushed the man out of the way and grabbed the girl's hand. She followed behind him, not keeping up with him.  
All of a sudden Stephen heard a strange sound, almost like a clanking of metals. He stopped and turned around. The man was pointing something at him.  
Stephen dodged out of the way as something came out of the thing the man was holding and came towards him. Stephen let go of the girls hand and went up to the man. He punched the man hard in the nose.  
"Aahhh! My nose!" The man groaned.. Stephen pushed the man and he landed on top of the car. He turned back the girl and ran toward her, but instead ran back to the man. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and cut off the man's ear. He cried out in pain as Stephen put the ear in his pocket and ran after the girl.  
"Why'd you do that?" She said.  
"Trophy." He said simply.

". . . then I caught your scent and followed it to where you and Connor were." Angel finished recapping what happened to Willow.  
She was sitting in his lap, in their bedroom, holding his hand. There were bruise marks on her neck where Connor had choked her. There were tears running down her cheeks and Angel wiped them away with is thumb.  
"Is it really him? Was that really Connor?" Willow said.  
"Yes." Angel said.  
"How could you tell?" Willow said. She turned her head to look at him.  
"He has your eyes." Angels aid. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then on the forehead. "How does your neck feel? Any better?"  
"Yeah. I'm just a little shaken up, that's all." Willow said.  
"What's wrong?" Angel asked, concerned.  
"Nothing." Willow said. "It's just, you should have seen the look in his eyes. All I saw was pure hatred. Does he really hat me that much?"  
He doesn't hate you. He doesn't know you. Or, if he does, he doesn't remember knowing you." Angel said.  
"Where was he, Angel? Who took him?" Willow said. Angle looked down at their hands. "Angel, tell me, please?"  
"Our son was in a hell dimension." Angel said. "Holtz kidnaped him. The night he disappeared and Glory was killed." By now, Willow was crying and sobbing. "I did some research and found out that the dimension he was in is called Quortath. The book said that it's the worst king of hell imaginable, and that most humans wouldn't be able to survive there."  
"B-But he did!" Willow sobbed. "H-He was right there, right in front of me!"  
"Yes, yes he was." Angel said.  
"So, h-how did he survive? How did he make it, even as a little baby?" Willow said.  
"Because he's his mother's son. And because he's strong." Angels aid. He stroked her flame-red hair.  
"Angel, do you think he'll come back?" Willow said.  
"I don't know, Willow. I just don't know."Angel said."So, what's your deal? Are you from out of town?" The girl, who said her name was Marissa, asked him. Stephen stared at her, not understanding the question. "Have you been here long?"  
"Uh, no." Stephen said.  
"Cool." She said. "So, d'ya got anything ta eat?"  
"No. I don't have any food." Stephen said.  
"I'll got get some, you stay here." Marissa said.  
Stephen waited in the strange building until Marissa came back, arms full of things Stephen did not recognize.  
"What's that?" He said.  
"Food, of the junk variety." Marissa said. She plopped down beside him and putt all the food on the table.  
She grabbed something and pulled in apart. Then she reached inside and pulled something out. Then she put it in her mouth.  
Stephen looked down at the 'junk food' and picked up one of the things. The packages said something that was spelled 'T-W-I-N-K-I-E.' He had never heard of it, nor did he know how to pronounce it, but he ate it anyway.

"Buffy!" Willow yelled into the phone. "He's back! He's really back!"  
"Who?" Buffy said on the other side, in Sunnydale.  
"Connor! He's really and truly back!" Willow said.  
"How? Why?" Buffy said.  
"We don't know. Angel said he jumped out of a portal." Willow said.  
"Is he okay?" Buffy said. "Is he hurt?"  
"No. He's fine. Although, he almost choked me to death." Willow said.  
"What! How can he, he's only a baby!" Buffy said.  
"No, he's not. Somehow, he grew up wherever he was." Willow said.  
"How old is he?" Buffy said.  
"I don't know for sure, but he looks to be about eighteen or nineteen." Willow said.  
"Wow." Buffy said. "Does he remember you or Angel?"  
"No, well, not me anyway. Angel, he seems to remember. But me, I don't exist." Willow said.  
"He'll come around. Listen, Dawn's home and I've gotta chew her out for skipping school again. I'll call later, around seven." Buffy said.  
"Okay Buffy." Willow said. She put the phone down.  
The door to her and Angel's bedroom opened and Angel stepped through.  
"Who was on the phone, honey?" He said.  
"You heard that? I thought you were downstairs?" She asked.  
"Vampire hearing, remember? I could hear you loud and clear. Who were you talking too?" He said."You tell me." Willow said smugly.  
"Come on. I would never listen in to your private phone calls."Angel said.  
"It was Buffy. I told her about Connor being back." Willow said.  
"Oh." Angel said. "What did she say?"  
"She had to call me back because she had to yell at Dawn for skipping school." She said.  
"Ah," Angel smiled. "I seem to remember when Buffy would skip school to stay at my mansion all day."  
"So that's where she was!" Willow said, finally getting it. "She told me she was stuck patrolling and stayed home to sleep!"  
"No. She would stay at my mansion and we would just hold each other in the other's arms." Angel said.  
"Angel!" She squealed and giggled. "No talk of past relationships! I really don't need a visual."  
"Sorry sweetie." Angel said before grabbing her by the waist and kissing her full on the lips.

"What's that?" Stephen asked Marissa about the object in her hands.  
"Oh. It's, ah, medicine." Marissa said.  
"You're sick?" Stephen said.  
"Um, no, but it does make me feel better." Marissa said. "When I feel sad."  
"So, you're sad right now?" Stephen asked.  
"A little. Do you want some? I know that Carlos can get you some." Marissa said.  
"Who's Carlos?" Stephen said.  
"That guy who's ear you cut off." She said.  
"That guy?" Stephen said. She nodded.  
"So, I'm gonna go in the bathroom and take some okay?" Marissa said.  
"Okay." Stephen said.  
Much later on, Stephen went to go check on his new friend. "Marissa!" He called out.  
He wandered through the house, trying to find the bathroom. Until he reached a room with the door half open. He pushed it open and saw Marissa leaning over a big white thing in the shape of an oval. She wasn't moving.  
"Marissa?" He asked.

Willow jerked awake as she head a loud banging noise. After waking up a little, she realized that it was the door. Someone was pounding on the door.  
"Who is it?" She called out.  
"It's me, Cordelia."  
"I'll be there in a minute!" Willow said. She sat up and pulled the blanket around her nude body. She got up, holding the blanket around herself and went over to the door. She opened it a little and saw Cordy.  
"Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted!" Cordy said, a wicked grin on her face.  
"We were just sleeping." Willow said, knowing Cordelia would want full details.  
"Right. You know, that's the sixth time since you got back three weeks ago." Cordy said. "Anyway, there's someone down in the lobby for you and Angel."  
"Who?" Willow said.  
"Oh, I don't know. Tall, teenager, was just a baby a few months ago." Cordy said.  
"Connor's here?!" She said.  
"Ah, actually, I think he just goes by Stephen now." Cordelia said.  
"Okay. I'm gonna go get Angel up and we'll get dressed. Don't let him leave, we'll be right down." Willow said, fidgeting with the blanket so it would stay up.  
"He says it's an emergency." Cordelia said.  
"I can't go down like this!" She pulled the blanket up again."Hurry up!" Cordy said. She started down the hall.  
Willow shut the door and went over to the bed. "Angel, wake up! Connor, ah . . . Stephen's here." Angel instantly sat up and jumped out of their bed, not bothering to cover his own naked body. Willow shivered in pleasure of what they had just done a few hours earlier. "Please, Angel! We have to get downstairs!"  
"Oh, sorry baby." he said, picking up his pants off the floor and slipping them on. He smiled at her as if he could sense her arousal.  
"Don't laugh at me!" she whined, pulling on her clothes.  
"I'm not!" he said. She wasn't impressed. He gave her a wicked grin. "I just know what you're thinking about."  
"Stop thinking about what I'm thinking about and let's go talk to our son." Willow said as they went out into the hall and down the stairs.  
Once they reached the lobby, Willow anxiously searched for the boy who tried to kill her just hours before. She saw Cordelia on the computer. No one else was around.  
And then, she saw him. Connor was pacing back and forth in front of the doors that led outside into the courtyard.  
"Stephen." she called out. He whipped around and sneered at her. She frowned, saying, "And the sneer's genetic, who knew?"  
"You're the woman pretending to be my mother." Stephen snapped.  
"I am your mother." Willow said harshly.  
"Stephen, mind your mother." Angel said beside her.  
"Why did you come?" Willow said.  
"You don't want me here?" Stephen said.  
"No. Yes, of course we do. It's just, we don't' know why your came." Angel said.  
"I have questions." Stephen said.  
"And, we have answers." Willow said. "What's your first question."  
"Why . . . why did you give me up? Why did you let him take me?" Stephen said.  
"It's complicated, sweetheart." Willow said.  
"Then make it easy!" Stephen shouted.  
"Stephen, do not speak to your mother that way!" Angel snapped.  
"Angel, I'm sure he's just . . . confused." Willow said cautiously. "There's really no reason to--"  
"No, Willow." Angel said. "I will not here him speak to you like that. You deserve better."  
"Angel," Cordelia said. "He just wants an answer."  
"There isn't one." Angel said coldly.  
"Yes, there is." Willow said. "Tell him. He deserves to know." Willow looked in her fiance's eyes, fake tears threatening to fall. "Please?" she said in her most innocent voice. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed Angel softly on the lips. "Come on Angel, don't make me stake you." she whispered in his ear. She look into his eyes again and saw them soften.  
"All right, all right." Angel put his hands on Willow's waist. "I give up."  
"Yeah!" Willow said again, kissing Angel again.  
"Okay you two, get a room." Cordelia said. Willow giggled and she and Angel continued going down the stairs and went over to Cordelia and Stephen.  
"Okay son," Angel said. "Sit down." Angel indicated toward the couch in the living area and Stephen did and sat down. Cordy, Willow, and Angel did as well. Cordy across from Stephen. And Willow and Angel across from Cordy, but to the right of Stephen. Willow took Angel's hand and their finger's entwined. "Let me tell you about the night you were kidnaped." Angel said. "It was three days after you were born. Your mother," he pointed to Willow, "had just woken up from a sort of coma. The three of us: you, your mother, and I, were in the nursery. I had just asked your mother to marry me, and she accepted. Now, there was someone, a woman, who wanted to hurt you and your mother. Her name is, was Glorificus. She was a god, who your mother had gotten very angry because she was trying to protect . . ." he looked at Willow as if to say, "How should I explain this?" ". . . to protect a very special friend from Glorificus. And, in the process, ended p hurting Glorificus and not saving her . . . friend. Well, that night I, your uncle Spike, and your aunt Buffy killed Glorificus." he stopped to clear his throat. "Before Buffy and Spike had come up, I sent you downstairs, with your mother. Then Buffy, Spike, and I fought Glorificus and defeated her."  
"What happened to me and . . . her." Stephen pointed to Willow.  
"Hold on, son. I'm getting there." Angel said. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes. While Buffy, Spike, and I were upstairs, your mother and our friends were fighting a different kind of battle. They--"  
"I think I can take over from here, Angel." Willow cut in.  
"Right. Sorry, honey." Angel said.  
"It's fine." Willow said. "I came downstairs, with you in my arms, and told Buffy and Spike to go up and help your father. Two seconds later, men came crashing in and started fighting us. I hid in the corner, holding you tight to my body, trying to get you to stop crying. Then, Holtz came up to me and hit me across the head with what looked like the butt of a gun. The last think I remember before waking up later was you screaming and Holtz ripping you from me. Then someone screamed, and the world went black." Stephen looked at his parents, wide-eyed.  
"What happened next?" Stephen said anxiously.  
"I came downstairs and found that the lobby was trashed and none of my friends or family could be seen. Then I saw your aunt Cordelia here," Angel pointed to the ex-cheerleader. "Her legs were being crushed by some fallen debris and she was really out of it."  
"Yeah. I still limp around because of it." Cordelia said.  
"Then I found your aunt Dawn, then your mother. Who, I might add, was sporting a very nasty cut on the forehead. The blood was intoxicating. Spike came down with an unconscious Buffy in his arms. Dawn told me what happened and I immediately flew out the door to find you. And I did find you, just too late. Holtz jumped into a mystical portal to a place called Quortath." Angel said.  
"Is that were I was?" Stephen said.  
"Yes, it was." Willow said. Angel could see tears running down her pale cheeks.  
"I tried, for weeks, to find you. Going through every book and contact I could think of. But I never told your mother or our friends because I didn't want to get their hopes up. I did a spell, and it was supposed to work, but it didn't. Two months later, three weeks ago, a client came in. We later found out that he had been possessed by a slug-like demon. Your aunt Fred was infected too, but we saved her. The man, though, he died. The slugs disappeared, though we don't know how, but they did. Then, you and that demon came out of a portal right above the place where I had performed the spell. Well, you know the rest." Angel said.  
"I-Is that everything?" Stephen said.  
"Yes, honey, that's what happened." Willow said, tears flowing freely now.  
"Why is she crying?" Stephen said to Angel.  
"She's . . . ah, just really happy that you're back." Angel said. He put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead.  
"I'll just give you three a moment. I'll go see if Fred and Gunn are back." Cordelia said. She got up and went out the door.  
"Stephen, there's something you need to know." Angel said.  
"What?" Stephen said.  
"That man, the one who kidnaped you," Angel said."You mean Holtz?" Stephen said.  
"Yeah, . . . Holtz." Angel said. "He's a, . . . ah, how do I put this?"  
"He's a bad man. A horrible, evil man." Willow said.  
"Y-You don't even know him!" Stephen shouted.  
"He tried to kill your father!" Willow yelled back.  
"Holtz is my father!" Stephen replied harshly.  
"No!" Willow fumed. "Angel is your father! You ungrateful little--" Angel immediately cut her.  
"Willow, honey, calm down. Both of you, cool off. Yelling isn't going to help." Angel said. He put himself between his fiancé and his son. Willow stopped and stepped back. Stephen, however, still glared at his mother, fist blared.  
He lunged at her, pushing Angel out of the way. He grabbed her by the throat and pulled her up. Stephen pulled a knife from near his ankle and put the blade about an inch from Willow's neck.  
Angel was about to do something when the front door came open and Cordelia ran through.  
"Hey guys. How's it going?" Cordy said. She stopped when she saw what was going on.  
"Move, even flinch, and she's dead." Stephen snarled.  
"Hey guys! We're back!" Fred called in a heavy Texan accent as the front door opened again. She and Gunn stepped in. "Oh my--" They stepped forward causing Stephen to push the knife against his mother's skin.  
Willow hissed and a drop of blood was drawn from her neck. Then the blood began to come out a little faster. Stephen took the knife away from her skin, only to stab her again, making two puncture wounds on her neck.  
"Fred, Gunn, Cordy, don't move!" Angel commanded. Faster that Stephen would be able to realize, Angel lunged at him. He blocked the knife from Stephen's hand and pulled Willow to himself. She had her hand on her neck, where it was bleeding, and her skin was pale and clammy to the touch.  
Stephen ran out the door before anyone could say anything. "Angel!" Willow gasped. "My neck, i—it won't stop bleeding!"  
Angel put his hand on the twin marks and pressed down. He could feel her heartbeat beat faster, and faster, until it started to slow. He looked in her eyes. He could smell her fear, her terror. She was fighting to stay alive and Angel knew it.  
"Cordy, get me a towel." Angel said. "Now!" Angel lowered Willow to the ground and laid her down flat. "When I find that kid, he's definitely grounded." he mumbled as she put more pressure on Willow's neck.  
Willow's breathing was beginning to become shallow, and her pulse was weakening. She looked into Angel's eyes. "Angel, it hurts." she rasped.  
"Willow, honey, stay with me. You're strong. You can make it, I know you can." Angel said.  
"I-I . . ." she whispered ever so softly. ". . . . I c-can't breathe!"  
"You're gonna be fine, baby." Angel said. "Cordelia! Where's those towels!"  
"I'm coming!" Cordelia called back.  
"Angel . . ." Willow whispered.  
"Hold on, sweetheart, please. Just stay with me." Angel begged.

She was cold, colder than she had ever felt in her life. And once more than that, she was terrified. Terrified of what was to come.  
And yet, she was . . . at peace. She was content and satisfied with the way her life had gone. She knew it was her time and that everyone she loved would be okay. And although it saddened her to leave her friends and family behind, she knew that one day they would be together again.  
"Willow, honey, hold on. We're almost there. We're almost at the hospital." Angel said.  
"I-I can't . . ." Willow gasped.  
"Cordelia, faster!" Angel shouted.  
"We're about a block away." Cordelia said.  
"Good." Angel said. He squeezed Willow hand. "Just hold on, baby."  
Her skin was pale now, paler than Angel's own. Her breath was shallow, her pulse weak. There was blood everywhere, her blood. It was intoxicating, taking over Angel's senses. The smell of sweet strawberries filled the air.  
"Angel, we're here." Cordelia said. The car stopped right outside the front doors and Cordy got out.  
"Go," Angel said. "Get a doctor, now!" She nodded and ran into the building.

It was almost time, Willow could feel it with every fiber of her being. She could not feel her body, and yet she knew it was there. She could not feel her heart beat, yet she knew it was beginning to slow. She could not see Angel's face, yet she knew that he knew the end was near.  
In fact, she couldn't see anything but a never-ending blackness. Almost as if she had stumbled into a black hole. She knew she had eyes, she just couldn't use them. It was as if she had gone blind. She strained to see beyond the blackness, but only saw more black.  
But then . . . then she saw a shower of blue and white light. If she could have used her hands, she would've used them to shield her eyes from the blinding light. And when the light disappeared, a figure emerged. The figure became clearer and clearer until . . .  
Tara? She thought to herself. But it wasn't possible. Tara was dead, had been for over four months.  
"Yes, Willow. It's me." the figure said. "Don't be afraid. It's really me, and I'm not here to hurt you."  
Willow wished she could say something aloud, but she couldn't. She merely stared at the woman before her.  
"I know you must have questions, but there isn't time for that now. What I will tell you is that yes, I did die. And no, this is not a dream. I am now what is called a 'whitelighter'. What that means it that a sort of guardian angel. I look after witches and future whitelighters. I'm afraid there isn't time for much more. I know what is happening to you now, and I know what you've gone through with Angel. I'm not here to tell you that I'm angry with you, because I'm not. I could 'never' be angry with you. I know you must be wondering why you're here. Do you remember the day I died? Well, it wasn't supposed to happen that way. Willow, you know I was never supposed to come back to normal, right? I was never even supposed to wake up, but rather die in my sleep. But, I wished to hear you tell me that you were okay, and the Powers That Be granted my wish. They allowed me to see you as I once was one last time. After you told me, they brought me home, to where my mother was. I was allowed to say goodbye to her, then they made me a whitelighter. They gave me a second chance at life. But now, I help my charge, a fourteen-year-old witch who is new to her powers. Anyway, I'm here now to say goodbye to you. And I'm here to tell you to not give up, it's not your time, yet." If Willow could feel her eyes, she knew tears would be falling. "Goodbye, Willow. I'll always be watching over you."

"Tara?" Cordelia jerked awake and lifted her head. "Tara, don't leave me!" Cordy saw Willow thrashing her head against the hospital bed, but her eyes were still closed.  
"Willow, what's wrong?" Cordelia whispered.  
"Angel, please!" Willow whimpered loudly. A horrible beeping sound filled the room. It was Willow's monitors. Cordelia pressed the doctor call button.  
"What is your emergency?"  
"My friend's monitors are beeping!" Cordelia said."Which one?" the operator said.  
"I don't know. But the green lines are going from up and down to a straight line." Cordy said.  
"A doctor will be in shortly." the operator said. The remote clicked and turned off. Willow wasn't crying or whimpering anymore, she was just lying there, her eyes closed. Cordelia looked out the hall to see if the doctor was coming. She didn't see anyone.  
Angel was off trying to find Connor again. Wesley and Gunn were with him. Fred was in the cafeteria, getting coffee for herself and Cordelia.  
"What's going on?" Cordelia turned around. A male doctor in a white lab coat and green hospital scrubs came up to her.  
"S-She's freaking out!" Cordelia said.  
The doctor went behind the button and pressed a big blue button that was captioned 'code blue'. "Miss, I'm gonna have to ask you to step aside." he said. Cordy went to the corner where she'd be out of the way.  
Before she knew what was happening, nurses and more doctors were running into the room.

Stephen," the young teenage boy stopped and turned around at the harshly spoken tone of his 'father's' voice. "Stephen, come here. Now."  
"Why should I?!!" Stephen yelled.  
"Because I said so." Angel snarled.  
"You can't make me do anything!" Stephen sneered.  
"Oh yeah . . ." Angel said. The 200-plus vampire ran at superspeed and went of Stephen. ". . . watch me!"  
"Hey," Stephen said in surprise. "Don't do that!"  
"What are you gonna do about it?" Angel pushed Stephen lightly, causing the teen to stumble back a little bit. "Try to stake me again? 'Cause you know, you're supposed to hit my heart instead of my shoulder." Angel said.  
"I know. My father taught me how to kill you." Stephen snapped.  
Angel chuckled. "Your 'father' is a homicidal maniac who doesn't care about anything but vengeance." Angel retorted. "Now, you're gonna come with me to the hospital."  
"Why should I?" Stephen said again.  
"Because, your mother is there. That's where I'm going. Therefore, it's where you'll be going." Angel said. He grabbed the teen's shoulder and dragged him out of the warehouse they were in and in the direction of the hospital.  
"Why is she in the hospital?" Stephen said after some time.  
"Because you put her there." Angel said.  
"No. I couldn't have. I barely pricked her." Stephen said in disbelief.  
"Yes, you did. You wouldn't have, but your mother's been under a lot of stress for a long time. Her body's just using what you did as an excuse to get some rest. She's strong, your mother is." Angel said.  
"Is my mother going to be okay?" Stephen said.  
"Finally accepting that we're your parents, huh?" Angel said.  
"I guess. I mean I love Holtz like a son loves his father, but you and Mom, you're my real parents. I see that now." Stephen said.  
"Well, Stephen. It's good to have you back." Angel put his arm around the teen's shoulder.  
"And Dad?" Stephen said.  
"Yes, son?" Angel said.  
"I'm really sorry that I hurt Mom." Stephen said.  
As they walked into Willow's hospital room, Angel said, "Why don't you tell her your-" he saw doctors and nurses hovering around Willow's bed. He scanned the room, not knowing what to do. Cordelia was standing in the corner crying.  
"Angel!" She called out to him.  
"Dad, what's going on? What are they doing to Mom?" Stephen said.  
"Calm down, son. I'm gonna figure that out." Angel said. He went up to the doctors. "What's wrong with my fiancé?"  
"Sir, please step back and let us do our job." A nurse said.  
"Just tell me what's wrong!" Angel shouted.  
"She collapsed.." a doctor said. She's not breathing. We're trying to locate anything that would cause that. Just please, step aside."  
Angel pulled Stephen back by Cordelia. The doctors were shouting out medical commands and different medicines to try. The monitors were still beeping irregularly and Angel knew that that was not a good sign.  
The doctors kept trying things until the monitors stopped beeping so fast and one of the doctors shouted, "She's stable! Let's bag her!"  
Another doctor said, "I want an ultrasound machine. She may be bleeding internally."  
"Okay." a nurse said and left the room. She came back not one minute later with what Angel guessed was a portable ultrasound machine. She gave it to the doctor who asked for it. He pulled up Willow's hospital gown just above her stomach. Then he turned on the machine and spread a jelly-like substance with some kind of attachment that was connected to the machine.  
"Is she okay?" Angel asked anxiously.  
"Ah, Mr. Angel, I'm gonna have to ask you and your friends to step out for a moment. Nurse Abbie will take you outside." The ultrasound doctor said.  
"But--" Stephen said, but Angel cut him off.  
"No, son. Let's go." Angel said. He, Stephen, and Cordelia followed the nurse outside the door.  
"You can wait here until Dr. Monroe is finished with his examination." Nurse Abbie said. She disappeared back into Willow's room.  
"Angel, can you hear what they're talking about?" Cordelia said.  
"Ssshh!" Angel said, listening in to the conversation. He could only hear some of what the doctors were saying. What he could understand, he didn't like.  
"'What does her chart say?'" someone said.  
"'Name's Willow Rosenberg. She just had a baby a few months ago. She's been in and out of the hospital for multiple injuries. Neck wounds, fractured hand, head trauma, internal bruising. Neck wounds and head trauma being the most recent.'" someone else said.  
"'You thinking what I'm thinking about?" the first voice said.  
"'You think the fiance's beating her?'" voice number two said.  
"'We won't know for sure until we have more evidence.'" the first voice said.  
"'Is she on anything?'" voice number two said.  
"'Tox screen came back negative. She's not bleeding internally either. But the ultrasound picked up something else. She's--" Angel cut off the first voice by bursting in the doors. "Mr. Angel, it's going to take a few minutes longer. If you could just--"  
"No. You're gonna stop suspecting me of abusing my fiancé and tell me what the hell is going on!" Angel snarled.  
"Mr. Angel, please calm down." The first doctor said.  
"I'll come down when you tell me what's wrong with Willow." Angel said.  
"Please, let me consult with my colleague first." The first doctor said.  
"Make it quick." Angel snapped.The two doctors left the room at the same time Stephen and Cordelia came in the room. Willow was still on the bed, a ventilator tube down her throat. Angel went over to Willow's side and sat down. He took her hand in his own and put his forehead on her hands.  
"She's gonna be fine, Angel." Cordelia said.  
"It's just, she's been in and out of the hospital so many times, I'm afraid that I'm gonna lose her. I just wanna put her in a bubble and keep her safe."  
"She's a big girl, Angel. She knows how bad this world can be." Cordelia said. "Just look at all she's lost. Oz, Tara, . . . and Connor."  
At the mention of his other name, Stephen flinched. He went over to his father and put his hand on Angel's shoulder.  
"Dad, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her." Stephen said.  
"It's not your fault, son." Angel said, looking at Willow's closed eyes. "I knew how hormonal your mother's been lately. I should have stopped her."  
The doors opened and the three of them looked over at them. The two doctors from before came back in . Angel looked at them expectantly.  
"What's wrong with her?" Stephen said.  
"Mr. Angel, may we speak to you in private?" One of the doctors said.  
Angel looked at Cordelia and Stephen. "Could you?"  
"Sure." Cordy said. She looked at Stephen. "How about a snack from the cafeteria?" She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room.  
As soon as the doors closed, one of the doctors said to Angel, "The ultrasound we took picked up on something--" his face was grim.  
"Is she sick? Is she dying?" Angel said.  
"Let me explain." the doctor said. "When we did the ultrasound, we were looking for any signs of internal bleeding. What we found, however, is that your fiancé is pregnant." Angel's jaw dropped.  
"What?" he said. "How is that even possible?" he mumbled to himself.  
"We've taken some tests from the amniotic fluid, and the results are quite unsettling." the second doctor said.   
"Is the baby okay?" Angel said, still trying to process what the doctors just told him.  
"The results show that because of the trauma your fiancé has sustained, your baby has suffered from trauma." The first doctor said.  
"What does that mean? What kind of trauma?" Angel said.  
"Head trauma. If your baby makes it to full term, if being highly unlikely, it is entirely possible that he or she will have mental disabilities." the first doctor said.  
"But there's a chance our baby will be fine, right?" Angel said.  
"Ten percent, maybe less." the second doctor said.  
"And you're sure about this? I mean, you're positive?" Angel said.  
"Yes." they both said. Angel put his hand through his hair.  
"And what about Willow?" he said.  
"She will have to be monitored and hospitalized throughout the pregnancy." doctor number one said.  
"I mean, will she suffer any damages?" Angel said.  
"No. Aside from her current injuries, she should be fine." the first doctor said.  
"When will she wake up?" he said.  
"In a few minutes." doctor number two said. "We'll give you some time with your family." they turned and left.  
Angel went over to Willow's side and sat down. He kissed her on the forehead and on the lips. He put his head on her chest and smelled her sweet strawberry scent. He heard movement from outside the door and sat up. Cordy and Stephen came in.  
"What did the doctors say?" Cordelia said.  
"Stephen, please stay with your mother while I talk to Cordelia." Angel said. Stephen nodded and Angel led Cordy just outside the door. Stephen nodded and Angel led Cordy just out the door.  
"What's going on Angel?" Cordelia said.  
"It's Willow, she's, uh, she's pregnant again." Angel said.  
"Angel that's wonderful!" Cordelia said.  
"You don't sound very surprised." Angel said.  
"What? You two have been tucked in your room since she got back, what else is there to do? Besides, you've been apart for months." Cordelia said. She looked up at his face. It was dull and expressionless. "Is something wrong?"  
"Yes." Angel said. He looked through the window at Stephen holding his mother's hand. "When Willow got hurt, this last time, it affected the baby."  
"What? How?" Cordy said.  
He told her what the doctor had told him. By this time, unwanted tears threatened to fall. "Our baby . . . our baby could die."  
"Are they sure? Are they positive?" Cordelia said. She too, was crying.  
Angel nodded. "They said that if the baby comes to full term, he or she might have mental problems."  
"Oh my god." Cordelia said. "Angel, I'm so sorry. You must feel so awful." She put her arms around him and gave him a long, friendly hug.  
"It's . . . it's all my fault." Angel said.  
"No!" Cordelia said. "It's not your fault, not at all."  
"I-I should have protected her. I should have kept her safe. I promised I would--"  
"Angel, calm down." Cordy said. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. It just happened, and it's gonna be okay. I promise."  
"What am I gonna tell Willow?" Angel said.  
"The truth." Cordelia said. "She deserves to know. Stephen too. That's his little b


	4. Joy To The World

Okay, for some reason on _Chapter 3: Reunion_ that last few paragraphs won't show up no matter what I do and I just realized it. So here they are and I'm really sorry I didn't notice before and I included a few lines above to:

"What am I gonna tell Willow?" Angel said.  
"The truth." Cordelia said. "She deserves to know. Stephen too. That's his little brother or sister."  
"How am I supposed to tell him that because he hurt his mother, his little brother or sister is permanently damaged forever?" Angel said.  
"Well, not so much that, as that it wasn't his fault. You have to tell him that it wasn't his fault." Cordelia said. She pointed inside where Stephen and Willow were. "And it looks like know's your chance, she waking up." Angel looked at her as if he didn't know what to do. "Go on, I'm gonna go call the gang."

Cordelia watched through the window as Angel went into Willow's room and went up to Willow and Stephen. Willow looked up at Angel and smiled that geeky grin of hers. Stephen, too, smiled at Angel.  
Angel sat beside Willow and held her hand. Willow's smile instantly turned to worry and panic. Her lips moved, but Cordelia couldn't understand what she was saying. Angel, his back facing Cordelia, stroked Willow's face and went through her hair. For a few moments, Willow just stared at Angel, a fearful expression on her pale face. Cordelia assumed that Angel was talking now, telling Willow about what had happened. Cordy could see Stephen standing by, looking at the floor as if he were ashamed. Then Willow started crying, and Cordelia could hear the redhead loudly and clearly through the door.  
Not able to watch any longer, Cordelia went down the hall to use the phone. And even when she was at the end of the hall, she could still hear Willow crying and sobbing.  
To Be Continued . . . once again.

**Parenthood**

Summary: Willow shows up in Angel's room instead of Darla. A month and a half later . . . The next chapter should be coming soon.

**Chapter 4: Joy To The World**

Depression. It's such a negative word, isn't it? In the case of Buffy's best friend Willow, it was really more of a double negative. In the last two years, Willow and her fiancé Angel had gone through more than Buffy thought any one person, let alone two, could be capable of. But all that had been just the tip of the iceberg compared with what they were dealing with now.

Angel signed in the visitor's log and went to put the sanitary scrubs on. They really weren't necessary, but the hospital didn't know that. They wouldn't understand that Angel was an vampire and therefore didn't carry or spread germs. But, Angel put them on anyway.  
He stepped into his fiance's private hospital room and went over to her. She was lying on a sterile bed that was surround by a clear plastic bubble to keep the germs away. There were two gloves, however, so that he or someone else visiting her could hold her hand or possibly play a game with her, when she was lucid enough.  
Her eyes were half-closed, but Angel knew she was awake. She just had so many prescriptions and vitamins in her that she wasn't always conscious of what was going on around her. He also knew that she knew he was there, she just couldn't respond by voice or much movement.  
He sat down and put his hands through the gloves. He held her hand and her eye twitched. Her stomach was bigger now, just as it had been when she had been pregnant with their first child, Connor. Because Connor had been kidnaped and grew up with his kidnaper, he had only remember his name to be Stephen. Now that he had been for almost a year, he had changed his name back to Connor. He said it was because he was sick of people saying Connor instead of Stephen, but Angel knew the real reason. He was doing it for his mother.  
Angel looked into Willow's half-closed eyes and said, "Baby, I'm here." her lips curled ever so slightly, and Angel wouldn't have seen it had he not been looking directly at her. Her fingers squeezed Angel's gloved hand just a little bit.  
"W-Where's Connor?" Willow whispered.  
"Cordy came by a little while ago and took him to get something to eat. He's gonna come back when they're finished." Angel said. "How are you feeling?"  
"Better." she whispered.  
"I talked to the doctor and he said he wants to run another test. And tomorrow he's gonna do an ultrasound. We're gonna find out whether we're having a girl or a boy." Angel said. "Personally, I hope it's another boy. But it really doesn't matter. As long as he or she is healthy."  
"When?" Willow mouthed, her voice clearly going from lack of use.  
"Tomorrow at noon. He has another patient that needs something or other."  
"Are X-Xander and Buffy still coming?" Willow whispered.  
"I was gonna call them while you were still sleeping, but a nurse told me you were awake. I'll call them while you have your morning dose of vitamins."  
"Okay." Willow said. Her eyes were a little more open now, and her voice wasn't as rough as it had been.  
Angel heard someone tap on the clear glass door and turned to see who it was. Cordelia, dressed in sterile scrubs and gloves, opened the door and came in. Connor, dressed similarly to Cordelia in scrubs, followed behind her.  
"How's Mom?" Connor said.  
"She's fine. She's a little more awake than before." Angel said. "You can sit with her while I talk to your aunt Cordy."  
"Okay, Dad." Connor said and sat down. Angel went over to Cordy and they went outside the room. They took their sterile clothing on and went down the hall to the family lounge. Cordelia sat down, but Angel, to antsy to sit, stayed standing.  
"Angel, what's going on? Everything was fine when I came to pick Connor up." Cordelia said.  
"It was, but the doctor said he was gonna take another test." Angel said.  
"Isn't that a good thing?" Cordy asked, confused.  
"The last time they took a test, the baby's heart rate dropped and Willow had a seizure!" Angel said. He sat down next to her and rubbed his forehead.  
"Okay. So maybe you're right about that, but it all turned out okay, right? Well, except for the fact that Willow's practically in a plastic bubble because of it." Cordy said. "Oh, don't give me that look."  
"What look?" Angel said.  
"That 'don't go there' look you've been giving everyone way to much lately." Cordy said.  
"I have not!" Angel protested.  
"Yeah, actually, ya have been." Cordelia said. "So, what else did ya wanna tell me?"  
"Oh. They're gonna do an ultrasound tomorrow to find out whether the baby's a girl or a boy." Angel said.  
"What did Willow say? Is she excited?" Cordy said.  
"Yeah, she is. She's just tired, that's all." Angel said. "You know, the doctors said she would get better as the months went along. Willow's just been getting worse."  
"Once the baby's born she'll get better." Cordelia said. "I promise.""But that won't be for at least another three weeks." Angel said.  
"Just be happy that your baby's survived for eight months. The doctors said that it wouldn't make it for three, but three months was five months ago. And you've gotta remember that Willow is the one who is suffering the most because of this."  
"I know, and I hate to see her suffering. I remember what she was like after Tara died." Angel said. He looked down at the floor. "I don't know what to do to make her happy."  
"Just be there for her, mostly. She's going through another rough time, and she just doesn't want to be alone." Cordy said.  
"She'll never be alone as long as I'm around." Angel said.  
"So tell her that." Cordy said. "You know what else she's thinking about. It's two weeks until Christmas, and she gonna be sad about it."  
"But why? Christmas is her favorite time of the year?" Angel said.  
"Well yeah, last year it was because she was happy. That and it's her first Christmas without Tara and without Buffy or Xander or the rest of the gang around." Cordelia said.  
"She just asked me if Buffy and Xander were coming to see the ultrasound." Angel said.  
"And you've been wondering why she hasn't gotten any better." Cordelia said. "She's depressed. She isn't around the people she's used to. And it's been how long since she's seen her parents?"  
"Ah, I really don't know . . ." Angel said.  
"So why don't you call them? And maybe when the baby's born and Willow's feeling better, you four can go visit her parents." Cordy said.  
Angel looked up. "How are we supposed to explain Connor? They're going to be pretty curious how their twenty-two year old daughter can have a nineteen-year-old son." Angel said.  
"That's a very good question. You guys'll figure it out. Willow's smart, she'll think of something." Cordy said.  
"Speaking of Willow, I better get back to her. It's almost noon." he stood up and went for the door. "Oh, and Cordy?"  
"What?" she said.  
"Could you call Buffy for me? I would, but if I don't get back to Willow . . ." Angel said.  
"I know. She'll start freaking out as if you were never coming back." she said. "Go on, and say hi from me."  
"Okay." he said and went down the hall back to Willow's room. He put on another pair of scrubs and sterile shoes on and went in.  
Connor was sitting beside his mother, holding her frail hands through the big gloves. Willow was sleeping, as she often was. The doctor said it helped her stay healthy. Connor, too, was asleep. Angel went up to him and gently shook him awake.  
"Huh?" Connor said rather loudly, causing Willow to stir. But luckily, she fell back asleep.  
"Sshh. You wouldn't want to wake your mother, now would you?" Angel whispered. Connor drowsily rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "Why don't you go back to the hotel and get some sleep? Fred, Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne are there."  
"But Dad," Connor whispered, "I can't leave Mom."  
"She's exhausted. She'll be out for at least twelve hours. I'll tell her you went home." Angel whispered.  
"Okay Dad. When can I come back?" Connor said softly.  
"Tomorrow, around eleven thirty." Angel said.  
"Why eleven thirty?" Connor said.  
"Because at twelve we're going to find out whether you're going to have a little brother or a little sister." Angel said.  
"Cool," Connor said, "This is great, Dad!""I knew you'd be exited." Angel laughed. "Now go on and get some rest."

Sunnydale, California: 11:00 A.M. the next day  
"Xander, step on it!" Dawn Summers yelled from the back seat. "We're gonna be late!"  
"Well, it's kinda hard to drive with all the extra things in the van. Jeez, did you guys clean out the entire store?" Xander Harris said.  
"We did not!" Buffy Summers protested beside her sister. "It was only at least half."  
"My point exactly!" Xander said, his eyes still on the road.  
"I don't get it," Anya said suddenly next to her fiancé Xander in the front passenger seat.  
"Get what?" Dawn said.  
"This pointless tradition of a fat man wearing a red suit and trees with glass on them. It's ridiculous." Anya said. Buffy and Dawn rolled their eyes.  
"I think they just call it 'Christmas' nowadays, Ahn." Xander said, "Ya know, 'the spirit of giving'."  
"It should be called the season of greed." Anya retorted. "All people do is get drunk and greedily rip apart boxes of things that will just eventually be broken or forgotten. It doesn't make any sense, and it's pointless."  
"Okay Scrooge." Buffy said, "No 'ba-humbugs' allowed."  
"Why do you insist repeating references to pop culture that I have no possible way of know about?" Anya said.  
"It's not pop culture." Dawn said. "It's a classic."  
"But--" Anya started to say.  
"Okay, okay, break it up." Xander said. "When we get there, I don't wanna hear anymore Scrooge's. Buffy's right.. No 'ba-humbugs' allowed. Willow doesn't want to hear any of that. Is that clear?" the three girls nodded.  
"What's a Scrooge?" Anya asked. Buffy and Dawn groaned.

Willow woke up and felt dull and dismal. When she slept, she dreamt of her first Christmas with Angel and Connor. When she was awake, however, all she could think of was that she would have to spend this Christmas in a sterile plastic bubble in a hospital. She was sad, and she was lonely. No one she was used to spending Christmas with was around. Buffy and the gang were in Sunnydale. She didn't know where her parents were at the moment. And worst of all, it was her first Christmas in three years that Tara was not with her.  
She was sad and depressed and sore and lonely and tired, and she missed her family and friends. She turned her head to look at the clock on the side table. It said 11:17 A.M. Weren't Angel and Connor supposed to already be here?  
Without even realizing it, tears had begun to fall down her face. She didn't understand why, though she didn't want to stop. And amidst all the crying and depression she felt, she fell asleep. And though she didn't know she was asleep and well, therefore dreaming until later, it still felt very real.  
In the dream, she was where she had been when she was awake, in the bubble in the hospital room. Everything was in the exact place as it had been in her waking life, except . . .  
That same swirl of bright and blinding bluish-white light formed, and she covered here eyes. When the light was gone, Tara was there.  
"T-Tara. . ." Willow squeaked, "It's you, it's really you!"  
"Yes, it's me. Just as it was before." Tara said. "Now, we have a lot to cover, so we need to get moving."  
"'Get moving'?" Willow said. "I don't understand."  
"It's all right. You'll understand shortly." Tara said and stepped forward. She touched the bubble and it disappeared."B-But the doctor said I needed to stay in here to keep the baby safe . . ." Willow said, in serious panic-mode.  
"It's okay. I promise you, you'll be safe. In the dreamworld, there is no illness or sickness. The baby will be fine. If you'll just take my hand, I show you what's going on." Tara said.  
Willow willingly held out her newly-strong hand and held on to Tara's. As if by miracle, she felt none of the pain she'd felt when getting up to got to the bathroom.  
Suddenly a white rectangle-shaped burst of light appeared, and Tara was leading her through it.  
"Where are we going?" Willow asked.  
"The past." Tara said and they went into the door.

Angel, Cordelia, Connor, Buffy, Dawn, Anya, Xander, Fred, Gunn, Wesley, and a camouflaged Lorne jumped into Willow's room and yelled "Surprise!"  
A few minutes of unexpected silence passed by and on one said anything. Angel pushed through everyone and went up to Willow. Her eyes were closed, but Angel could still hear her heart beating, as well as the baby's heart.  
"Is she sleeping again?" Connor said.  
"Someone, go get a doctor!" Angel shouted. Cordelia instantly ran out of the room.  
"What's wrong with her?" Dawn said.  
"I don't know. But she's breathing, and her heart's still beating." Angel said.  
Everyone dropped the presents, decorations, or food they had been holding and went up to the bubble Willow was inside of.  
"She looks so peaceful." Xander said. "Like she's dreaming."  
"Is she sleeping, I mean . . ." Buffy said.  
"I think so." Fred said.  
"She's so beautiful." Angel said.  
"Yeah. Even though she may be dead or close to it," Anya said.  
"Anya!" Xander said.  
"Although if you think about it, it makes sense that she would die . . ."Anya said.  
"Anya!" Dawn said.  
"She basically has nothing left. She's just a shell that would have died eventually. Why not sooner than later? And--"  
"Anya!" Everyone shouted.  
"Okay, okay!" Anya said, rubbing her ears. "You don't have to shout!"  
Everyone rolled their eyes.  
"The doctor's here!" Cordelia said coming in, Willow's usual doctor behind her.  
"What seems to be the problem?" The doctor said.

"The problem is not that I don't trust you. It's just that I don't understand how this can be possible!" Willow yelled at Tara.  
"You really don't need to shout." Tara said. "I'm right here."  
"Why can't you just tell me how this is happening!" Willow said in frustration.  
"I've already told you, you'll understand when you're ready to understand." Tara said. "No, turn around and tell me what you see."  
"What do you mean? All it is, is the portal." Willow said, confused.  
"Just look and see." Tara said.  
"Fine." Willow said. She stubbornly turned around. "See? I told you--" she had intended to say that all it was was the portal, but instead saw her living room at her parents home in Sunnydale. "Oh my--" The decorations were the same as when she was five. "It's my parent's house. What are we doing in Sunnydale?"  
"You'll see. Just watch." Tara said.  
"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Willow asked.  
"Just watch." Tara insisted. Sure enough, two voices appeared as if out of thin air.  
"Xander, give it back!"  
"You can't make me, Willow!"  
A little girl with red pigtails and a little boy with brown wavy hair ran into the living room, the boy first. The boy held a Barbie doll that had a pink dress on.  
"Xa—nder!" Little Willow said.  
"What . . ." Adult Willow said. She looked at Tara. "This was the Christmas we were pretending to date, but he stole my Barbie!"  
"Com and get it!" Little Xander teased. He ran around the room and around the Christmas tree. Adult Willow and Tara stood in the background, watching as the two little ones were chasing around the room.  
"Xander, I'm gonna tell my mommy on you!" Little Willow said, tears now falling down her face.  
"Not if you can't find me!" Little Xander said and ran up the stairs and out of sight.  
Little Willow just stared at the stairs where her best friend had been. Her bottom lip went out and she started to pout and cry. She plopped down on the floor and sat there, bawling her eyes out.  
"I don't remember this." Adult Willow said to Tara.  
"You probably don't remember because you didn't want to." Tara said.  
"But--" Adult Willow looked down at her younger self and hesitated. There was something vaguely familiar about the look in her mini-me's eyes.  
"What's wrong?" Tara said.  
"I remember this, I know something is about to happen, I just don't know what." Adult Willow. Suddenly, someone came in the room and adult Willow jerked her head to see who it was  
"Willow, honey, what's the matter?" Willow's mother said as she knelt down next to her daughter.  
Little Willow looked up at her mother with red, tear-stained eyes. "Xander stole my Barbie!" the little girl sobbed.  
"Oh, sweetie. I'm sure he was just teasing. Where did he go anyway?" Mrs. Rosenberg said. Adult Willow stood in the background with Tara. All of a sudden, there was a bang and a clatter coming from somewhere upstairs.  
"Oh god." Adult Willow whispered. She knew what was happening.  
"Mrs. Rosenberg!" Little Xander screamed from upstairs.  
"I think it's time we move on to the next memory." Tara said.  
"Which one?" Adult Willow asked.  
"Christmas, 1998." Tara said.

2 ½ weeks later (Christmas Eve)  
"Dad, when is Mom gonna wake up?" Connor asked his father.  
"I don't know, son." Angel said. "But I hope it's soon. It's almost a week away from her due date."  
"Was Mom sick like this before I was born?" Connor asked.  
Angel looked at his now comatose fiancé. The doctors didn't know why she had gone into a coma again.  
"Dad." Connor said.  
Angel continues to look into Willow's eyes, but all of a sudden someone hit the back of his head. He jerked and looked up.  
Connor was staring at him and laughing. "Dad, I think you're losing your hearing." Connor said."What?" Angel said.  
"I said I think you're losing--"  
"No," Angel said, cutting Connor off. "What did you say before?"  
"Oh. I asked if Mom was sick like this before I was born." Connor said.  
"Yeah, she was. It was mostly because of Glory." Angel said.  
"I know you and Mom told me about Glory, but I don't remember. Could you tell me again?" Connor said.  
"That's something you'd have to ask your uncle Wesley. He's expert when it comes to things like that." Angel said.  
"Or," Connor said, "I could ask Mom when she--"  
"No," Angel snapped, startling the teen. "I don't want you to ever mention Glory's name with your mother around."  
"But why, Dad?" Connor said.  
"Because it will bring back too many memories for her." Angel said. "Memories of someone your mother lost who was very dear to her."  
"Memories of who?" Connor asked.

"Tara, when is this gonna be over." A very frustrated Willow snapped.  
"We just have one more Christmas to go too." Tara said.  
"Which one? We've practically been to every one from my whole life. What could possibly be left." Willow said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
"Your future." Tara said patiently. They stepped into another portal and came out inside of a room Willow did not recognize.  
"Where are we?" Willow asked.  
"You'll see." Tara said. The room was more metallic and modern than Willow had ever seen. It was like something from the Jestsons, only more silver. There was a silver couch with metallic purple and black pillows. The floor was grey concrete with black plush rugs. The walls were black with too were metallic purple trim.  
"What is this? The set of While You Were Out?" Willow said. Tara looked at her as if she didn't know what she was talking about. "Never mind. So, is this where I live in the future?"  
"You could say that, I guess." Tara said.  
"What do you mean, 'I guess'?" Willow said.  
"You'll find out in about two seconds. Look at the door that about two feet away from where we are." Tara said.  
Willow looked at the door that Tara had said too. It opened, revealing an old woman in a futuristic wheelchair and . . . Angel.  
"But how--" Willow said. "Who—who . . . who is that?" she pointed to the old woman.  
"Don't she recognize her?" Tara said. Willow shook her head. "It's you. You in the future, anyway."  
"B-but Angel . . . he's the same." Willow said.  
"Well yeah, he's a vampire." Tara said.  
"But what about . . . what about Connor? A-And the new baby?" Willow said.  
"Whoa! Slow down." Tara said. "There isn't much I can tell you. But I can tell you that Connor is fine."  
"What about the baby?" Willow said anxiously. "Is there something wrong with my baby?"  
"Like I said, I can't tell you much. But what I can tell you is that you and Angel's second child is a girl." Tara said.  
"What did we name her?" Willow asked.  
"I can't tell you. You two have to decide for yourselves. There's this whole 'freewill' thing that gets in the way. It's the rules." Tara said.  
"Is she okay? Can I see her?" Willow said. "Please, just let me see her?"  
"I'm sorry. I wish I could show you, but I've been told not to." Tara said.  
"By who?" Willow said.  
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that either. But I'm counting on you to trust me that I'm not lying." Tara said.  
"Fine. Just tell me what I'm looking at." Willow said. Angel and Willow's future selves were in front of the tv watching something.  
"You know what you're looking at. Your future, as well as Angel's. this is what it's going to be like for the rest of your lives together. You're going to age, and he's not." Tara said.  
"So?" Willow said. "There's nothing I or anyone else can do about it now, our destinies are written in stone."  
"That's what you think?" Tara said.  
"It's what I know. What I've learned since I found out about Slayers and vampires and witches. Nothing can change who we're meant to be or what we're meant to do." Willow said stubbornly.  
"There's this witch I met after I died, and she taught me something. She said, 'There's always a reason for everything'. Now, to me, that makes much more sense than what you were saying." Tara said.  
"Which witch told you that? Would I know her?" Willow said.  
"You probably wouldn't know her, she's been dead for longer than you've known you were a witch." Tara said. "Anyway, she told me that there was a reason I died and became a whitelighter. And now, I know I became a whitelighter to guide witches and future whitelighters go where they need too. Just like I've guided you through this. The Elders sent me because they knew that you would trust me, and I knew you would trust me. My job is to make sure that you understand--"  
"I can change my future?" Willow said.  
"Right. Now, how do you feel about going home? How about giving birth to your daughter?" Tara said.  
"Really? I can go home now?" Willow said.  
"Yes. In fact, speaking of giving birth, I think it's time for you to wake up." Tara said.

Angel sat next to Willow while the doctors did a C-section to deliver their second child. They had done a C-section because one, Willow was in a coma, and two, because they didn't think the baby could survive a natural birth.. The doctors hadn't started the operation, which Angel knew because he didn't smell Willow's blood yet.  
"Okay, Mr. Angel. We're going to start now. I can't guarantee that your fiancé won't wake up. So, if she does, I need you to comfort her and tell her what is going on." The doctor said. "Can you do that?"  
"I'll do anything for her." Angel said.  
"Alright then. Here we go." The doctor said. Angel heard a slicing noise and instantly smelled Willow's blood. He kissed Willow's forehead and squeezed her limp hand. She didn't move or react. "Almost there. Almost there." The doctor said.  
Angel stroked Willow's face and hair. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered in her ear. He kissed her nose and then her lips. He looked in her eyes and saw that she blinked.  
He felt her hand in his own begin to twitch and jerk. Her eyes opened and she looked at Angel with a tearful expression.  
"Angel?" she said. "What's going on, where am I?"  
"Ssshh, calm down. It's okay, you're alright. You're in the hospital. Just calm down." Angel said.  
"Where's Connor? Where's my daughter?" Willow said.  
"Willow, honey, we don't have a daughter." Angel said.  
"Yes. Yes we do. Tara said . . . Where is she? Where's my daughter?" Willow said."Sweetheart, Tara died. Remember?" Angel said.  
"I know that. But she's . . . she's . . . I can't remember!" Willow sobbed.  
"It's okay, sweetheart." Angels aid.  
"Where's my--"  
"We're about two seconds away until you two become parents for the first time." The doctor said, cutting Willow off. Angel hadn't told the doctors that Connor was his and Willow's son, because, well, it was just to hard to explain.  
"Really?" Angel said.  
"Yes," the doctor said. A little cry filled the air. "I am now pleased to announce that you have a daughter!"  
"Is she healthy? Is she okay?" Willow said.  
"We'll have to take some tests to know for sure, but right now I'd say your daughter looks very healthy." The doctor said. "Mr. Angel, would you like to cut your daughter's chord?"  
"Me?" Angel said. "But I don't know if I know how."  
"That's okay. Just come over here and I'll show you how to do it." The doctor said.  
Angel kissed Willow's forehead and went over by the doctor.. The took the scissors from him and the doctor held out the newborn's tube.  
"Now, all you have to do is cut just below where it's clamped." The doctor said.  
"It's not going to hurt her, or Willow?" Angel said.  
"No. It won't hurt either of them." The doctor said. And put the tube in between the blades on the scissors and cut it. "Okay, would you like to hold your daughter?"  
"Yes, please." Angel said. Angle held out his arms and the doctor handed the baby to him.  
"Angel, is she okay?" Willow said.  
"Yes, sweetie, she's fine." Angel said. "It's perfect."  
He went back over to Willow and held out the baby so she could see her. The baby had a full head of red hair, just like her mother. She had Willow's cheeks and nose, but she had Angel's eyes.  
"Guess what, Mom and Dad," The doctor said. "It's after midnight. Your baby was born on Christmas Day!"

A few hours later, Angel, Willow, Connor and the new baby were in Willow's hospital room. Connor was asleep on a chair. Willow was lying on her bed, and Angel was sitting in a chair holding her hand. The new baby was in the plastic crib the hospital had provide, sleeping also. They hadn't named her yet, because Willow said she wasn't ready yet.  
"How are you feeling, Willow?" Angel said. She didn't say anything. She just stared off in space, as if she were in a trance. "Honey?"  
"I don't wanna talk about it!" Willow shouted.  
"Ssshh, you're gonna wake the kids up." Angel said calmly. "Besides, I never asked you if you wanted to talk about it."  
"I know you were thinking about it!" Willow snapped. The baby stirred and let out a few squeaks and squalls.  
"Honey, you're gonna wake up the baby." Angel said.  
"Don't change the subject! You know I hate it when you force me to tell you something that I don't want too." Willow said.  
The baby was crying now, woken up by her mother. Amazingly though, Connor was still asleep. "Honey, I'm not trying to change the subject. You're really waking the baby." he got up and went to the crib. He picked the baby up and held the newborn on his shoulder. He rocked her up and down. "Ssshh." he whispered.  
"Angel, I'll tell you when I'm ready!!" Willow shouted. This time, Connor did wake up."Huh?" Connor said groggily.  
"Son, why don't you tell the nurse that the baby is awake. Please?" Angel said.  
"Okay Dad." Connor said, understanding that his parents were having a fight and that they wanted to be alone. He left the room without another sound.  
When the door closed, Angel went up to Willow, the baby still in his arms. Although, the little newborn had ceased crying now.  
"Would you just hold her?" Angel said. Willow shook her head and cringed. "Why don't you want to? She's our daughter. You haven't held her at all since she's been born."  
"Angel, I'm just tired. Maybe later?" Willow said.  
Angel was about to protest, but knew better. "Alright. When the nurse gets here, I'll tell her to take the baby to the nursery." Angel said. "But sooner or later you're gonna have to hold her."  
"I know," Willow said and snuggled under the covers. "'Night."  
"Goodnight, honey." Angel kissed Willow on the lips and waved the baby's hand goodbye. "Say goodnight to Mommy!"  
"'Night." Willow said again and closed her eyes.  
Angel rocked the baby up and down as he walked over to the rocking chair. He sat down and rocked the baby some more. He started to sing an old Irish lullaby his mother had sung to him when he was little, but halfway into it the door opened again.  
"Angel," Connor said, as he always did when strangers were around, "I got the nurse."  
"Thank you, Connor," Angel said. He stood up and went over to them.  
"Connor says that the baby's awake?" The nurse, whose name was Katie, said.  
"Yes." Angel said. "Could you take her to the nursery? My fiancé is asleep, and I don't want the baby to disturb her."  
"Certainly." Katie said. Angel went over to the crib and gently laid his daughter in the plastic crib. The nurse wheeled the crib out of the room.  
"Dad, why is Mom so angry?" Connor said.  
"I don't know, son. But I hope she tells me soon." Angel said.  
"And when is the new baby gonna get a name?" Connor said.  
"When your mother's ready." Angel said simply. "Come on, why don't we go to the cafeteria and get you something to eat?"  
"But who's gonna be here when Mom wakes up?" Connor said.  
"I've got someone in mind." Angel said.

Cordelia sat in Willow's room, reading a People magazine, waiting for the sleeping redhead to awake. The magazine was actually rather interesting. Apparently some actors she'd never heard of named Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof got married. Cordelia didn't have the slightest idea who they were, but from the picture they looked happy.  
Anyway, she was really bored waiting for Willow to wake up. Angel had asked her to talked to Willow and try to get her to tell what happened during her Christmas tour with Tara. She herself was about to fall asleep when she heard Willow groan and wake up.  
"Angel?" Willow said.  
"He's, ah, out with Connor." Cordy said and looked up from her magazine.  
"O-oh." Willow said.  
"He'll be back. In the meantime, you're gonna spill about what happened with Tara." Cordy said.  
"I already told Angel that I didn't want to talk about it." Willow said.  
"Yeah, I know." Cordy said. "That's why I'm here. Call me your in-house therapist."  
"I didn't ask for one!" Willow protested."Tough. You need one, seriously." Cordelia said. "Besides, if you don't hold that kid of yours, you're gonna give her a complex."  
"I'm not ready." Willow said.  
"Did I ask if you were ready? Okay now, tell me." Cordy said.  
"No." Willow said.  
"Come on, you know you want to." Cordy egged.  
"No." Willow repeated.  
"Don't make me bring the baby in here!" Cordy said.  
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Willow said.  
"I'll wake her up, and she'll cry, and cry, and cry until you give in and hold her. You know, that's probably why she cries all the time. Because she things her mother doesn't love her." Cordy said.  
"That's ridiculous! Of course I love her, she's my daughter." Willow said.  
"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it!" Cordy said.  
"I'm just not ready." Willow said.  
"Why?" Cordelia said.  
"Because . . . because . . . because . . ." Willow said. Cordy looked at her expectantly. Willow let out a frustrated groan. "You almost had me, but I didn't give in!"  
"You almost did!" Cordy said. "You might as well just tell me! You know that I won't give up until you tell me!"  
"No. I won't tell you. But I would like to talk to Buffy. Is she here, in Los Angeles, I mean?" Willow said.  
"I'm afraid she's not. She didn't want Dawnie to miss school, but she really wanted to be here. She just couldn't let Dawn get behind in school." Cordy said.  
"Oh. That's okay." Willow said.  
"You could probably call her. I'm sure she's there." Cordy said.  
"I guess." Willow said. Cordelia handed the phone to the redhead. "Could I talk to her in private?"  
"Oh, sure. I'll just go see if Angel and Connor are back." Cordelia said. She got up and head toward the door.

Willow waited until Cordelia was gone to dial Buffy's number.  
"'allo?"   
"Spike, is Buffy there? Can I talk to her?" Willow said.  
"Oh, you're out of your coma, eh?" Spike said.  
"Yeah. Is Buffy there?" Willow said. "It's kinda important."  
"Yeah, hold on." Spike said. "Hey Buffy! Guess who's on the phone!" he said off the phone. "Here she is."  
"Willow? How are you? Are you okay?" Buffy said.  
"Yeah, not really. Listen Buffy, I need to talk to you." Willow said  
"Sure. What about?" Buffy said.  
"Are you alone?" Willow said. "No, Dawn's in here doing her homework." Buffy said. "Why?"  
"I just really need to talk to you alone. Could you go upstairs or something?" Willow said.  
"I guess. Talk to me on the way." Buffy said.  
"Okay. So, you and Spike huh?" Willow said.  
"This is what's so important that you have to talk to me about?" Buffy said.  
"No, I was just wondering. Anyway, so I'm guessing Angel didn't tell you that I was awake, or that I had the baby." Willow said.  
"No, he didn't. Is the baby okay? Is it a boy or a girl?" Buffy said."A girl." Willow said.  
"Really? What did yo two name her?" Buffy said.  
"We haven't, not yet. That what I called to talk to you about." Willow said.  
"A name? That's it?" Buffy said.  
"No. Yes. I don't know. While I was in the coma, I saw Tara." Willow said.  
"You were dreaming about her?" Buffy said.  
"No. She was in the dream.?" Willow said.  
"In?" Buffy said. "How does that work?"  
"I'm not exactly sure. Anyway, she took me on this tip of my past Christmas's. and one of the future." Willow said.  
"What happened in them?" Buffy said. "In the future?"  
"It was horrible. I was an old woman and Angel was the same as he is now." Willow said.  
"What about Connor and the baby?" Buffy said.  
"I don't know. Tara wouldn't tell me." Willow said.  
"Why not?" Buffy said.  
"She said it was against the rules or something." Willow said.  
"Rules? From who?" the Slayer said.  
"She wouldn't tell me that either." Willow said.  
"You don't even know what you and Angel named the baby?" Buffy said.  
"Exactly." Willow said. "She said that I had to decide on my own."  
"Maybe I can help you with a name." Buffy said.  
"I don't know what to name her. I just wish you could come up here." Willow said.  
"Diddo. But Dawn has to stay in school and I—oh! I forgot to tell you that I have a job now! Buffy said.  
"You do? Well what kind of job?" Willow said.  
"As a counselor at the new high school!" Buffy said.  
"There's a new high school?" Willow said.  
"Yeah. Unfortunately they built it over where the old high school was, if you know what I mean." Buffy said.  
"Over the hellmouth? Oh, you're gonna have some problems." Willow said.  
"Yeah. So, anyway, what kind of names were you thinking about? Girly names? Famous names? Unique names? Past-relative names?" Buffy said.  
"There are different kinds?" Willow said.  
"Yep." Buffy said.  
"How do I choose?" Willow said.  
"Well, what does she look like?" Buffy said.  
"She's tiny. I mean, really tiny." Willow said. And she has a full head of red hair, like me. Angel says that she's like an exact replica of me. Except her eyes, she has Angel's eyes. I think she looks like a little angel. The biblical kind."  
"Like a mini-me?" Buffy said.  
"Yeah, almost." Willow said. "If I tell you something, will you think I'm crazy?"  
"Depends, but probably not." Buffy said.  
"Okay, you know about the dream I had when I was in the coma, right? Well, there's kinda more to it." Willow said.  
"What kind of 'more'." Buffy said.  
"Well, she said she's a whitelighter." Willow said.  
"A what-lighter?" Buffy said.  
"A whitelighter. Here, let me tell you what she told me." Willow said. She told Buffy exactly what Tara had told her, almost word for word. When she finished, she let a big sigh.  
"Wow," Buffy said on the other side of the phone.  
"Yeah, I know. It's a lot to take in." Willow said.  
"Wow," Buffy said again.  
"Are you okay?" Willow said.  
"Wow," Buffy said.  
"Breathe, Buffy. Breathe." Willow said.  
"Are you sure you weren't just dreaming?" Buffy said.  
"Yeah. I don't know how, but I do." Willow said.  
"Well then, I believe you." Buffy said.  
"Good, because I don't think I could deal with you thinking I was crazy." Willow said. "It felt good to talk to someone. I've just been dealing with a lot if stuff lately, and there just isn't anyone here in Los Angeles who would understand."  
"I understand, totally." Buffy said.  
"Yeah, 'cause you've got Dawn. You know how it is to have someone completely depend on you." Willow said.  
"Exactly. And you've got Connor and the baby." Buffy said. "Speaking of the baby, we got off topic and forgot to help you pick out a name! Have you thought of one yet?"  
"Not really," Willow said. "Why is this so hard?"  
"I don't know. How'd you pick Connor's name?" Buffy said.  
"It was Angel's best friend's name when he still alive." Willow said.  
"Well, does Angel have any friends left?" Buffy said. "Or, it doesn't have to be something that relates to Angel's life. You could pick one that means something to you."  
"Like what?" Willow said.  
"Who means the most to you? Who do you constantly thing about." Buffy said.  
"Angel?" Willow said.  
Buffy nodded. "You said it before. She looks like an angel. So, why not name her that?"  
"Name her Angel?" Willow said.  
"No, you've gotta make it girly. Like Angela or Angelina. Personally, I'd pick Angela because it's shorter and easier to say. But that's just my opinion." Buffy said.  
"Then Angela it is!" Willow said. "Now, we just need a middle name." Willow said.  
"Michelle?" Buffy said.  
"No, it doesn't sound right. Hey, how about my middle name?" Willow said.  
"Marie? Hmm, let's try it out." Buffy said. "Angela Marie Rosenberg. Sounds good."  
"Yeah, I like it too." Willow said.  
"See? It didn't kill you to talk about Tara and Angela. Talking was the best thing for you. Now rest up and get better so you four can come visit." Buffy said.  
"Okay. 'Bye Buffy. Thanks for listening to me." Willow said.  
"You're welcome. Hey, when are you and Angel gonna get married?" Buffy said.  
"Oh, we already talked about it. We're gonna start planning as soon as Angela can go home."  
"Willow, that's wonderful!" Buffy said. "And guess who's gonna be my maid of honor?" Willow said.  
"Who?" Buffy said.  
"You." Willow said.  
"Well, when does Angel get to go home? Have you picked out a date? How about colors, and flowers and . . ." Buffy said.  
"You'll see . . ." Willow said.  
To be continued . . . one last time. (I promise)


End file.
